After Story: Selflessness
by Magnus Prime
Summary: An 'After' story based on Yukine's route from the VN/Anime 'Clannad'. Tomoya tries to make amends for 'stealing' Yukine's first kiss and ends up on an adventure greater then anything he could have imagined.
1. Hitting the Reset Button

**After Story: Selflessness**

 _ **by Magnus Prime**_

 **Chapter One: Hitting the Reset Button**

I hesitated for the umpteenth time as I reached out for the doorknob to the Reference Room. It had been at least a week since I had kissed Yukine at her brother's graveside, and I felt that I owed her some kind of explanation.

She had clearly been surprised by the 'spell', as had been her friends. Sure, she and I had been getting along well, and I had helped her by trying to be supportive, but…

We hadn't had enough of a rapport, and I realized that I really didn't know her that well. I just thought that she was a neat girl.

I guess that's why the kiss was a little…impulsive. While she didn't exactly try to push me away, she also didn't seem very receptive.

In the end I was concerned that I had stolen her 'first kiss', which seemed to mean a lot to girls. I wanted to make things right if I could. And if she would let me; just because I was her 'senpai' didn't mean that I could treat her as a toy, without consideration for her feelings.

With this in mind, I set my jaw and opened the door.

I wasn't surprised to see her reading at the table where she had served so many meals to Sunohara and me. In fact, from all appearances, she looked as though nothing had happened, nothing had changed. Maybe the kiss was all in my imagination?

That last thought was blown away when she looked up at my approach and blushed. "W-Welcome," she greeted warmly, but somewhat distantly. "Is Sunohara-san not with you today?"

"N-No," was all I could muster at first before gathering my courage. "Listen Miyazawa-san; I think I need to apologize for what I did to you."

She eyed me somewhat cautiously. "What do you need to apologize to me for, Tomoya-san?"

I internally cringed at the way she said my name. It wasn't like she was using it like she was disgusted. It actually sounded more like she was uncertain, maybe even afraid.

It may have been going overboard, especially toward a junior, but I lowered myself to my knees and bowed low; the floor felt cool to my forehead. "I'm really sorry for kissing you the way that I did. I had no right to touch you like that."

I heard a gasp even before I finished speaking. "No! Please don't bow! Get up, Tomoya-san, please!" I felt hands tugging at my shoulders, so I reluctantly allowed her to help me to my feet. I still couldn't look her in the eye, though; shame wouldn't let me. I only half-felt it as she brushed at my blazer and forehead.

Her voice came again, much quieter this time; more like her usual tone. "I…admit that I was surprised by…what you did. And I wasn't sure what to think of it."

"How about now? Can you forgive me?" I felt stupid for asking, but… "Did I take your first kiss?"

Her hand paused in its brushing, but only briefly. "You…did, but…"

Well, that settled it; I was lower than dirt.

"Um, Tomoya-san…?"

"Yeah?" I still couldn't look her in the eye.

I felt her hands on the sides of my face, gently turning my head to look at her. "Why don't we start over?"

"Start over?"

She nodded. "I don't want you to beat yourself up over this and I don't want to ruin our friendship, so…"

She looked like she was choosing her words carefully, so I said nothing.

She suddenly brightened up, with her usual smile. "How about we have lunch together after school on Saturday? Are you free then?"

I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth. Was I getting a chance to redeem myself? A second chance with her? "If I'm not, I will be," I promised.

She giggled softly, and I had to keep from floating away on that fluffy cloud. Everything about her shouted 'girl!' and I was grateful for that. "Could we meet the park just down the road from here?"

I knew the one she was talking about. "Sure. What time?"

"Well, after school, of course!" She exclaimed, giggling again. God, I could have gotten high on that. "I can bring whatever I need from home, so…" she looked up at me from under her lashes. "…we could walk there…together."

I felt my chest swell with a feeling I had never felt before. What was this? "That…sounds great," I think I managed to stammer out. "S-So…Saturday then?"

* * *

I fell into my seat and class and couldn't help it; it just burst out: "Ya-HOOO!"

"YES, SENSEI!" I heard Sunohara yell, and I looked over to his seat to find him on his feet, bloodshot eyes wide open. "TWENTY-TWO!" Seeing the few other lunchtime students glaring at him he looked over at me as he settled back into his seat. "What the hell are you grinning about?"

Certainly not what he was probably thinking. "Nothing…nothing at all."

"Then stop it," he grunted, as he lay his head back down on his desk. "You're creeping me out."

"Fine," I said, and rested my chin in my hand and faced the window. "Is that better? Now you can't see it."

"But I know you're still doing it."

I shook my head slightly. "Idiot. Do you think I can stop it that easily? Just go back to sleep. Or go eat lunch if you haven't already."

"Tomoya-san?"

I felt my chest tighten at the familiar female voice and my eyes widened as I turned to see Yukine standing by my desk, her trembling hands folded; she must have been nervous coming to the 3rd-years' floor. "Y-Yeah, Yukine?"

She glanced around nervously before opening her mouth again. "What…What would you like to eat on Saturday?"

We jumped as we heard a THUMP from Sunohara's direction, and we both turned to see him faceplanted on the floor.

I had to answer her question, and quickly. "Um…whatever you'd like to make," I rapid-fired as she turned back to me. "Just…whatever. I'll eat it, since you're such a great cook."

She blushed attractively as Sunohara climbed back into his seat. "Okay. I-I'll do my best." She finger-waved as she left the room, leaving a room near-full of astonished 3rd-year students.

Sunohara looked from me to the door where Yukine had departed, then back to me. There was only one thing he could say at a time like this:

"Okazaki, you BASTARD!"


	2. Anticipation

**Chapter Two: Anticipation**

Thursday and Friday were the longest days ever, but Saturday finally arrived. I made sure to drink a relaxing tea the night before, so I would get to sleep at a decent time; I did not want to be a zombie during my time with Yukine.

Since we would be going straight from school to the park, I made sure my school uniform was perfect – probably the first time since starting high school. Yukine was a lady, if a little on the strange side, and I'd be damned if I was going to be anything less than a gentleman.

* * *

Sunohara wrinkled his nose at me as I settled into my desk. "What's up with you? You're all shiny-oh, that's right; you're leaving your best friend behind today, aren't you?"

I smiled as I clapped a hand on his shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, I've never thought of us as friends."

"Hmph." He crossed his arms and leveled his gaze at me. "Seriously, though, I'm happy for you. Losing your mom, and your shoulder…" He gave me a lopsided smile. "You're overdue for some happiness."

I blinked at him in disbelief. "Who are you, and what have you done with Sunohara?"

He faked a jab at me. "Come on, I said I'm serious. 'Course, I'm jealous too, but…" His eyes took on a faraway look. "I'm sure there's a girl out there as sweet as Miyazawa-san, just waiting for me."

"Yeah, probably," I mused. I then showed him my fist and an evil grin. "This is too much mushiness; can I punch you?"

"No!" he cried, crossing his arms over his face. "You're supposed to feel sorry for me for not having a girlfriend!"

"Actually, I don't technically have a girlfriend either."

"But didn't you kiss her at-"

"Yeah…I did, but I shouldn't have."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE?"

"Shut up," I hissed, and kicked him in the shin. "We didn't have that kind of relationship, you idiot," I said as he rubbed his shin. "It wasn't the right time. Now, are you going to let me punch you or not?!"

"No!" he cried, crossing his arms over his face again. "You're supposed to feel sorry for me for not having a girlfriend!"

I settled for kicking his other shin and watching him rub at it. We really did get along well, didn't we?

* * *

I raised a hand in greeting as Yukine hurried up to me by the school's main gate. "Hey, Yukine."

"I'm sorry I'm late!" my friend gasped; she appeared to be struggling under the weight of a rather large bag. "Have you been waiting long?"

I glanced at the school clock. "No, not really…are you okay?"

She shook the bag in her hand as she continued to catch her breath. "This…is heavier…than it looks."

"Then I'll carry it," I said, reaching for the bag.

"No no," she protested, still puffing. "It's my responsibility; I'll carry it."

I thumped my chest proudly. "And it's my job to carry heavy things so the lady doesn't have to," I countered.

She said nothing, but gave me a look of gratitude as I took the bag from her. It didn't feel that heavy to me, but I could imagine it feeling heavy to someone her size.

We made small talk for a few minutes until she felt ready for the walk.

"So…you're an honor student?" I asked. I wanted to learn more about her, and I figured this was a good place to start.

"Huh? How do you know about that?"

I glanced over to see her puzzled expression and sighed as I realized that lying should not be an option. "When…Well, Sunohara did a little research into you shortly after he met you the first time."

"How come?"

"He…well, I guess I was curious too…We were trying to figure out why you were in the Reference Room all the time. I mean, we learned why later, of course, but it seemed kinda strange at first."

"I see." A moment later I heard her giggle, so I looked over to see what was so funny. When she saw my expression she giggled again. "I was just imagining what it must have been like for you; I can see how it might have seemed a little strange."

I was fortunate to catch every word she'd said; my chest tightened and my brain went fuzzy at her smile as well as her laughter. If someone could get high off of that, I'd fail a drug test. I quickly cleared my throat. "Uh, thanks for understanding."

"It's okay. Each of us has our own quirks, our own uniqueness…right Tomoya-san?"

"Yeah," I replied, gazing into her angelic face. "Some of us more than others."

"Oh! Look out!" She suddenly grabbed my arm, stopping me, and I turned to find my nose barely inches from a light pole. "That was close," I heard her breathe.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Maybe I'd better pay more attention to my walking, huh?"

She giggled again, and I tried not to float away on it. "That might be a good idea."

* * *

Fortunately, we made it to the park without any further problems, and we went about setting up our picnic spot.

"It sure is a beautiful day," she commented as she spread out the blanket.

"Yeah," I said as I squinted into the sun. "Hey, are you going to be okay out here? Maybe we should have the blanket more in the shade; I didn't think to bring any sun block."

"Well, it's not supposed to be that hot, but…maybe you're right." She started to gather up the blanket again. "I didn't think to bring any sun block, either."

"Now I feel bad," I said. "You went to all the trouble to make this, and I couldn't even bring something as simple as that."

Yukine held the blanket under one arm and rested her other hand on my chest. "Tomoya-san, when was the last time you went on a picnic?"

I tried to think back, but… "I don't remember any picnics."

"Then just think of this as practice for future picnics." With that, she withdrew her hand, causing a sudden feeling of loneliness.

"Practice, huh?" I mused. Then it hit me: "Wait a minute…future picnics?"

She simply giggled as she worked on laying the blanket out under a nearby tree. It wasn't long before a delicious-looking lunch was laid out on it. Yukine really knew how to cook.

"Wooooowww…" was all could say at the spread.

"I'm glad you approve," she said with a light blush. "I did my best, like I said I would."

"If it tastes as good as it looks, then…" I looked over at her and felt my face grow hot. "I don't know how to finish my compliment," I admitted.

"Well, then…" She clapped her hands as she gave me the cutest smile. "Let's eat and then maybe you can finish it!"

I couldn't help but return her smile. "Sounds good."


	3. Saturday at the Park

**Chapter Three: Saturday at the Park**

"Say 'ahhh'..."

"Ahhh…"

I kept my eyes closed as Yukine popped a bit of food in my mouth. I chewed slowly, savoring the flavor. "Delicious. Thank you," I said as I opened my eyes.

"You really like it?" she asked, her eyes hopeful.

I gave her a lopsided smile. "Yukine, the only person I lie to is Sunohara, and I do that just 'cause it's fun." I then enjoyed the melodious sound of her laughter. "Here, it's your turn again."

She closed her eyes and opened her mouth. "Ahhhhh…"

I picked up a small tomato and put it in her mouth. Her mouth closed around my finger before I could pull my hand away, though, causing me to gasp. "Wh-What do you think?" I asked, trying to cover up my embarrassment; I seriously hoped that she missed the strain in my voice.

"Mmm!" She softly squealed her approval before opening her eyes. "It looks like I made a good choice…Tomoya-san? Are you okay?"

I wiped my finger with a napkin, trying to get rid of the sensation as well as my elevated heart rate. "I'll…I'll be okay." I technically wasn't lying, but there was no way that I was going to let her know that I was feeling…stimulated. I never realized that my finger could be so sensitive.

"Okay!" she chirped. "Then it's your turn! Say 'Ahhhhh'…"

We spent a few more minutes feeding each other (without further incidents, thankfully) before settling to eat more normally.

"Tomoya-san?" Yukine asked between bites, "Would you be willing to meet my parents?" At my blink of surprise she quickly added, "It's just that if we're going to be doing this a lot then they should know who I'm with."

I pondered her question a bit before nodding slowly. "Yeah, I could see that. But…" I paused, trying to put my thoughts in a coherent order, "I'm going to be pretty uncomfortable meeting them. After all, we really haven't known each other that long, and…"

"And?" she prompted.

I almost scratched the back of my neck with my sandwich before I caught myself. "You're a really nice girl, refined and stuff, so I figure your parents are high-quality people, and…" I looked down at the checkered blanket. "…well, I'm not."

"Oh, my…" I heard her say with a shaky voice, and I quickly glanced up to see her dabbing at the corner of her eyes with her handkerchief. "What a wonderful thing for you to say about my mom and dad. Thank you."

"Y-You're welcome," I stammered, somewhat taken aback by her reaction. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you cry."

"No no," she said, waving her free hand. "These are happy tears." She finished drying her eyes before continuing. "I think you're right that they're good people…which means they're also not judgmental," she finished with a meaningful look.

I nodded; I guess I was so used to being misunderstood that I assumed that her parents would too. "Right…my bad."

She giggled softly behind her hand. "Don't worry about it, Tomoya-san, you're 'good'. In fact…" her face started to redden, "…I think you're very good."

"Huh?"

Her eyes widened, and she waved her hands. "N-Never mind! I'm sorry!"

"A-Anyway…" I said, trying to get us back on track, "Yeah, I'll meet your parents. If they're anything like you I'm sure I'll really like them."

"Thank you."

"When do you want me to meet them?" I asked, leaning back on my hands. "For that matter, where do you want me to meet them?"

She quietly cleared her throat; damn, everything she did was so delicate...and cute! "Well…to tell you the truth I haven't talked to them about you yet."

I nodded a couple of times. "Okay. Then, I guess…just give me a couple days' notice so I can prepare and I'll be there. Will that work?"

"What if you're busy?"

I gave her a look of disbelief. "Seriously? Me? The only things I do outside of school are bug Sunohara and wander around."

"You don't go home? -oh, that's right; your dad…"

"Right. I'll be trying to get work after graduation of course, but in the meantime, I'm kinda stuck."

"Stuck, huh?" Yukine eyes took on a faraway look. "Maybe…?"

I waved a hand in front of her glassy eyes. "Yukine? You okay?"

"Huh? Oh! I'm sorry!" she yelped, blushing yet again. Crap, she was so cute that I wanted to cup her face in my hands. "I guess I was spacing out."

"Don't worry about it," I offered. Gesturing at the meal I asked, "Are you done eating?"

She looked down at her hand, which still held a half-eaten sandwich. "Maybe I am," she said humorously. "Let me finish this, then I'll be done, okay?"

"Go ahead; take your time."

She finished her sandwich and after a short nap with her head in my lap, we started to clear our picnic area.

"Tomoya-san?" she asked as we packed the blanket and the leftovers into her bag. "Could…Could we do this again next week? Not necessarily at this park, but could we do another picnic?"

"Again?" I asked as I closed up the bag and carefully hefted it over my shoulder. "Haven't you had enough of me…yet…?" I trailed off as her face nearly burst into flame before she quickly looked to the ground.

"Not yet," she squeaked, her bangs hiding her face.

Her behavior had me concerned. "Yukine? You okay? Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head, still looking at the ground. "I'm fine," she squeaked again. "You didn't say anything wrong."

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked, reaching a hand toward her.

She took my hand in hers with a strength I never would have guessed she had. "I'll…be fine." She looked up at me, and her face wasn't as red, which was a relief. "You're here for me, right?"

"Yeah," I said with a grin. "I'm here to pamper you."

She didn't say anything immediately, but stepped up and leaned into me, snuggling her hands and face into my chest.

"Thank you, Tomoya-san."


	4. A Busy Weekend

**Chapter Four: A Busy Weekend**

I had barely settled in at home when the phone rang. Unfortunately, Dad was still at work so I had to answer it. "Hello? This is Okazaki."

" _Tomoya-san?"_

I felt the smile spread across my face. "Hey, Yukine." Suddenly I was glad Dad was at work, otherwise he'd probably try to stick his nose in this. "What's up?"

" _My…My parents were hoping you could come over for dinner tomorrow. I told them about you, and they really want to meet you."_

I chuckled. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

I heard her giggle. _"You're so funny, Tomoya-san. It's good, of course. I…know it's not two days, but can you make it?"_

"That's not enough time for me to get my hair done," I 'complained' in my best whining tone.

" _Huh?"_

"I'm kidding, Yukine. Sunday, huh?" I gave myself a minute to think. I usually spent Sunday evenings at Sunohara's… "Yeah, I'll be there. What time?"

" _Two-thirty?"_

"Two-thirty?! Good grief, what time do you eat dinner?!"

I heard the melodious bells of her giggle again. _"Usually around six. Is two-thirty too early?"_

"If you're having dinner at six, yeah." I scratched my cheek. "Do your folks have something planned before dinner?"

" _Of course; they want to talk to you."_

That would be one long conversation. "Well, if that's what'll help them feel more comfortable with me, then fine: Two-thirty tomorrow it is."

" _Oh! That's right…_ _tomorrow's_ _Sunday, isn't it?"_

"Last I checked," I replied, trying to contain my laughter. "Did you lose track of the conversation?"

Another giggle; I was starting to feel mildly buzzed. _"Yeah, I guess I did. Could you wear your school uniform?"_

I'd have to wash it, but… "Sure, no problem. Two-thirty at your place in my uniform. Oh, right; I'll need your address." I wrote it down as she recited it to me, then read it back to double-check. "Got it. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

" _I-I look forward to it, Tomoya-san. Bye for now."_

* * *

I checked myself for the umpteenth time as I stood at the front door to the Miyazawa residence. Considering how high-class Yukine was, it didn't surprise me to find that she lived in a really nice house – two floors, a good-sized strip of grassy lawn around it… It wasn't a palace, but compared to the dump where I lived it may as well have been.

"Well, let's go," I mumbled to try to psyche myself up, and then rang the doorbell.

About a minute later the door opened, and my heart nearly burst out of my chest.

Yukine had answered the door wearing a light brown sundress that went well with her hair color and contrasted beautifully with her sleepy blue eyes. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, except that she had it tied closer to the end of her hair rather than tight against her head. White socks covered her legs to halfway up her calf. The best part of her outfit, though, was the soft smile she almost always wore. "Welcome, Tomoya-san," she greeted.

I felt my jaw flap several time before I could properly form words. "Yu-Yukine? I-I didn't know you were part angel."

She gasped, her hands moving to her pinking cheeks. "T-Tomoya-san! N-Not yet! It's too early to start embarrassing me!"

I smacked my forehead. "S-Sorry, I spoke without thinking." Then I clasped my hands together to stop the trembling. "You're just so beautiful, and-"

"Hello? Do we have company?" came an unfamiliar voice, and an attractive older girl appeared behind Yukine. "Ah, you must be Tomoya-san; Yuki-chan has said a lot about you!"

I bowed as Yukine's blush deepened. "Yes ma'am, I'm Tomoya; Pleased to meet you."

"Well, what a polite young man! Come in, come in!" She reached out and nearly dragged me into the house.

"You never told me you had an older sister," I said to Yukine as I was dragged past.

My progress into the house suddenly stopped as the older girl came to complete halt. "Sister?" she said.

I looked from Yukine to her sister(?) and back. "Did I say something wrong?"

Yukine shook her head. "No, but…that's my mom."

I felt the blood drain from my face. "Oh…I'm sorry ma'am, you just look so young that I thought-"

"Hooooneeeeey!" Yukine's mother, still holding my arm, called up the nearby stairs. "Hurry down here; Yuki-chan's brought home a prince!"

In an apparent attempt to make up for the earlier blood loss, my face quickly heated up. "I-I'm no prince…"

"Hush dear," she gently scolded, glancing at me. Turning her attention back to the stairs she called out again: "Hurry up Ren; this prince is about to steal my heart!"

"Mom…" Yukine groaned.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming…stupid tie." A man who I assumed was Yukine's dad hurried down the stairs, his attention apparently divided between the stairs and his chest. He stopped before me and extended his hand. "Miyazawa Rentarou. I apologize for my tardiness."

"Okazaki Tomoya," I replied, shaking his hand while giving a slight bow. "Don't worry about it; I understand how things can make us late."

"Well, in my line of work tardiness in inexcusable," he replied sharply. Then he seemed to catch himself. "Now I must ask you to forgive my bad manners."

"He's been under a lot of stress at work lately," Yukine's mom offered. "Oh, where are my manners now? I'm Miyazawa Haruka; Yuki-chan's mother," she said with a slight bow. "Thank you for the wonderful compliment."

"Compliment…?" I repeated, before I remembered with a blush. "Oh. Uh, you're welcome, ma'am. I really thought you were her sister, though, but now I can see where Yukine's beauty comes from."

"Oh my," Haruka said as she started to fan herself with her hand. "Somebody stop him before I faint!"

"Mom…" Yukine groaned again.

At this her father burst out laughing and clapped me on my shoulder. "You certainly know how to treat a lady, don't you?"

I grinned self-consciously. "I don't think so, sir; I was just being honest."

Smiling, he gestured farther into the house. "Come, let's find somewhere where my wife can faint and we can talk."

"Will you carry me, dear?" Haruka asked dramatically.

"Of course, my princess," he replied, sweeping her off her feet – carrying her princess-style, appropriately.


	5. Afternoon Tea

**Chapter Five: Afternoon Tea**

"So…" Rentarou started as he accepted the teacup from Yukine, "…how long have you known my daughter?"

My gaze flicked to Yukine, who shrugged. "I...don't remember, honestly. I just went to the Reference Room to skip class, and-"

"Wait a minute, dear," Haruka interrupted. "Did you say 'skip class'?"

Oh crap; I'd accidentally let the cat out of the bag. "Yes, ma'am," I said, no longer able to face Yukine's parents.

From the edge of my vision I could see Rentarou cross his arms. "I assume you had a good reason for skipping class?"

"Mom? Dad? If I may?" Yukine interjected. After giving me an apologetic look she said, "Tomoya-san and his father don't get along, so he tries to stay away from home as much as he can."

Her father relaxed, if only a little. "Is that true, Okazaki-san?"

I nodded with my head hung, unable to look the man in the eye. "We…haven't gotten along in a very long time. We fought a lot…well at least until-" Fortunately, I caught myself before I could blab any more.

"Until what?" Yukine's mom asked with concern. "Did he hurt you?"

I whipped my head up in time to see Rentarou reaching for his cellphone. "It's not like that!" I blurted. "He accidentally broke my shoulder, really! It was an accident! We were fighting and I fell wrong!"

"There's no falling the right way, but…" he withdrew his hand from the phone. "…I think I understand."

I sighed heavily. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring my problems to your home." I looked around at the extravagant furnishings of their living room and sighed again. "Your really nice home."

"Thank you," he replied. "So what does your situation with your dad have to do with you skipping classes?"

He sounded genuinely concerned, so I felt comfortable enough to answer his question. "Well, since my dad works late, he comes home late. And since I'm trying to avoid him…I end up staying up even later."

"You really shouldn't speak of your father like that," Ryu replied.

Wait a minute…who was Ryu? The name seemed familiar, but…I shook my head to try to clear it.

"That's not healthy," Haruka remarked. "A growing boy needs a lot of sleep."

I felt my face grow hot and looked at the floor again; it didn't help that I was dealing with what felt like a memory that I couldn't remember. "Yes, ma'am."

"Stop looking down, Okazaki," Yukine's dad ordered. "Face me like a man."

I quickly sat up and forced myself to look him in the eyes. He didn't look angry…in fact, I couldn't tell what he was feeling.

His expression softened into a small smile. "You look exhausted, son."

"I am a little tired," I admitted with a wry smile.

"Is that why you skipped class?" Haruka asked. "To 'catch up' on your sleep?"

I internally thanked her for the save. "Yes, ma'am. Because of my sleep schedule…" I chuckled. "Maybe I should say 'Because of my so-called sleep schedule' I don't fall asleep until about three or four in the morning."

"That would make it tough to get to homeroom on time," Yukine said sympathetically.

"Indeed," Rentarou agreed, leaning forward in his chair and steepling his fingers. "Where's your mother in all this?"

"She died when I was really young, about two or three years old," I replied.

"'Hurt people hurt people'." Haruka said.

I had never heard that before. "Huh?"

She gave me a gentle smile, and I realized that she had the same sleepy eyes as her daughter. "'Hurt people hurt people'; it means that those who hurt others in some way are usually hurting as well."

I blinked. "Is that kind of like how bullies bully others because they don't feel good about themselves?"

She appeared to ponder my question for a moment. "That's…That could be an example, yes."

"But what does that have to do with my situation?"

She gave me a gentle smile. "She was your mother, right?"

"Yes."

"And your father's wife," Rentarou added.

"Well, of cour-oh, shit!" I blurted, my eyes growing wide. "Oh, uh…I'm sorry about my language, it's just that…I…never thought of that!" I buried my face in my hands. I'd been so caught up in my own hurt feelings that I'd never taken the time to think of how Mom's death would have hurt dad.

"It's perfectly understandable dear," Haruka said soothingly, drawing my attention again. "We parents are supposed to be there and help while our children figure out who they are and what they are supposed to do with their lives. Unfortunately, bad things can happen to even the best of parents, and losing a spouse…?" She bit her lip. "…It's almost impossible to recover from."

I reached for my head as another bout of déjà vu hit me.

"You okay, son?" I heard Rentarou ask.

I chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, I think so. It's just that…I feel like I've had a conversation like this before, but that's impossible."

Haruka looked over at her husband. "Maybe we should let him go home if he's not feeling well."

"No! No ma'am, I'm…I'm fine," I politely protested, waving my hands. "I think a glass of water would take care of it. Is that okay?"

"I'll get it for you," Yukine said as she rose from her seat.

After Yukine left the room I turned back to her parents. "I'm really sorry; I didn't know this would happen. I probably don't look like someone who would be good for your daughter to be around."

Rentarou gazed at me for what seemed like forever before looking out of the corner of his eye at his wife. "Haruka, this young man needs a nap."

"S-Sir?"

"I agree," she said with a nod. "After you have your water, I'll take you somewhere where you can rest."

My mouth fell open. Were they serious? Were they going to let some teenage boy they hardly knew sleep in their house on his first visit? "M-Ma'am? But-"

"No 'buts'," Rentarou interrupted, ending further conversation. "You show almost all the signs of being sleep-deprived, and I won't allow that."

I nodded with a chuckle. "Yes, sir."

After drinking the water Yukine brought me, she and her mother took me to what appeared to be a spare bedroom. Inside were simple furnishings: a bed and a nightstand with a lamp. I suddenly felt a yawn coming on.

Apparently Yukine noticed, because she giggled. "Looks like you really need this, Tomoya-san."

Another yawn prevented me from answering, though I managed to nod.

Much to my embarrassment, Yukine tucked me into bed. "We'll wake you before dinner's ready, so you have time to prepare."

"Okay," I replied, my eyes feeling watery. "Thank you."

The last thing I heard before sleep claimed me was "He does look a lot like him, doesn't he?"


	6. Generosity

**Chapter Six: Generosity**

" _Tomoya-san?"_

…

" _Tomoya-san…?"_

"Mmmmm…" I grunted as I tried to climb out of the pit called 'sleep'. I cracked my eyes open to an awesome sight: Yukine's lovely face hovering over mine, her soft brown hair cascading over her shoulders to lightly tickle my face. "'Morning, Yukine."

"Good morning," she replied softly as I sat up in bed. As I started to stretch I asked, "How long was I out?"

"About a couple of hours," she answered quietly. I finished stretching and lightly slapped my cheeks a couple of times to help jump-start myself, then looked over at her. She giggled and started to run her fingers through my hair. "You have a little bed-head there."

Her touch felt so good it made my skin tingle. A boy and a girl in a bedroom…I slapped my cheeks with a little more vigor. "I'll…I'll be down in a bit. Can I use your bathroom?"

She smiled as she stepped away. "Of course; it's the last door on the left before the stairs." With that she turned and left the room, shutting the door gently behind her. What a considerate girl.

I flopped back on the bed and allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to be married to her; to be able to come home to her smile and cooking, to bathe together and make love-

I quickly sat up again and smashed my face between my hands. It wasn't right to think of Yukine like that…yet, at least.

* * *

"Okazaki-san?" Rentarou glanced briefly over at his wife before continuing. "Haruka and I have been talking, and we'd like to offer you a place here for a while, to give you time to reconcile with your father and…well, to just get yourself back on track in general."

I looked from Rentarou to Haruka and back. "I'm sorry; I must have heard you wrong."

"I don't think so," she said with a soft smile that seemed motherly to me. "We're offering you the use of the room you slept in to help you get back on your feet. It's not good for you to keep going on like this."

"W-Well…I-I mean," I stammered. "You don't even know me, and you're trusting me like this?"

"I trust you, Tomoya-san."

I looked over at Yukine's serene expression and realized that her parents must have talked to her. "You know about this?"

"We asked her what she thought of you," her father answered. "Based on her answer and our earlier conversation, we think you're a trustworthy young man who's been given a raw deal by life; we want to help turn that around." He leveled his gaze at me as he leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees. "That's why we're offering; to help you help yourself."

My mouth opened and shut several times before I could form a coherent answer. They could really trust me that much? "Could…Could I have a few days to think about it? I'm grateful for the offer really, but…this is kinda sudden, and…could I have a few days?"

Yukine's parents looked at each other, smiled, then looked back to me. "How about this: We'll prepare the room and you can consider yourself welcome at any time," said Rentarou. "Within reason of course; I'm not the best at two in the morning. Any time during the day should be fine, though."

I was genuinely touched. "I…I really appreciate it, sir. Oh, and you too, ma'am. Thank you both." I sighed. "I'll probably take you up on that offer, I'd just like some time to think about it."

"If that's the case, then we look forward to having you here," Haruka said warmly.

"Now," Rentarou said, slapping the arms of his chair, "how about we gentlemen see about prepping the chicken so the ladies can work their magic on it?"

I felt a smile spread across my face. "Sounds good."

* * *

As we worked on carving the chicken, my curiosity finally got the better of me: "Sir? May I ask you a question?"

"It's about Yukine's older brother, isn't it?"

My hands slowed in their work. "If it's wrong of me to ask, I'll forget all about it."

"No, it's fine," he sighed, slowing in his carving as well. "It was bound to come up eventually. I'm sure she's talked with you about him, anyway."

"Yeah, she has."

He sighed again, more heavily this time. "I could have done a much better job with Kazuto. I understand that it's not my fault that he died, but…" he shook his head, a look of regret plain. "Maybe if I had been the father he needed…"

"I'm sure you did your best, sir," I offered respectfully.

He looked over at me and smiled sadly. "Maybe." Another heavy sigh. "I think back and see all these ways that I could have done things differently, but…then I realize that I didn't have that perspective back then, so how would I have known?"

"Are you talking about fate?"

He chuckled lightly. "I suppose I am, in a way. I believe that we all have the power to choose, but…our choices are still limited by what we know at any given time."

"Like if I had known about Dad's pain all those years I might have made different choices?"

"Exactly. I think that's what regret really is: wishing that we had important knowledge when we really needed it."

"Huh." I pondered his words; they made sense, to be sure. "I'll have to think about that."

"But before that," he said, giving me a mischievous grin, "let's show this chicken who's boss, right?"

I matched him grin for grin. "Right!"

As we finished preparing the chicken I wondered if it was too late for me to do stuff like this with my dad.

* * *

"Din-NER!" We heard Yukine call from the dining room, interrupting our talk. Rentarou and I picked up our drinks and made our way into the dining room.

"Whoo! Dinner smells great!" he exclaimed. "Lovely Magician Haruka does it again!"

"Don't forget her equally lovely assistant," Haruka corrected while holding a blushing Yukine.

"Mom…" she protested. When she saw me watching her she looked away, blushing even redder.

"It all looks so good," he said before kissing his daughter on the top of her head. "Thank you for all your hard work."

I watched how the Miyazawas interacted with each other and felt a pang of loneliness. I wanted a family like that, who loved and appreciated each other. I wanted someone to call me 'son' and who I could call 'dad' and 'mom'.

As we ate and made small talk, I came to a realization: Even though I wanted to wait a few days, I had already made my decision.


	7. Happiness

**Chapter Seven: Happiness**

As per my usual routine, I headed to the Reference Room, with Sunohara tagging along as per his usual routine.

"Welcome Tomoya-san, Sunohara-san," Yukine greeted with a bow.

"Thanks, Yuki-chan," I greeted with a smile, causing her to blush.

"YUKI-CHAN?!" Sunohara bellowed. "WHEN DID YOU TWO GET THAT CLOSE?!"

I replied by planting my elbow in his stomach.

Yukine giggled at our antics. "You two get along so well, don't you?"

"You have an interesting definition of 'getting along'," I remarked with a chuckle as I settled into my usual spot.

Several seconds later, Sunohara climbed into his usual seat. "Seriously though, something seems different about you two."

"Maybe something is," Yukine replied mysteriously over her shoulder as she prepared the coffee.

I could have sworn I saw puffs of steam coming from the idiot's nose. "What is it?! Tell me! Okazaki, you're sitting there with a stupid grin and she's glowing!"

I heard a 'squeak' from the prep area, and I looked to see Yukine trying to cover her blushing face; before I could stop myself I turned and punched Sunohara in the jaw, sending him to the floor again.

He was on his feet in an instant. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"

"I'm sorry, man!" I yelled back, only half as loudly. "It was reflex, I swear!"

"How is punching a reflex?!" he countered, noticeably settling down as he returned to his seat. "You're acting like I attacked your…" he saw Yukine, face still buried in her hands. "Ah, I see…" He started chuckling. "Heh heh…So that's how it is…heh heh…"

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

His chuckling started to take on an ominous tone. "Heh heh heh…heh heh…heh heh heh heh…heh heh heh…" A line of drool started trickling from the corner of his mouth.

I shoved him out of his chair. "Stop it, you idiot; you're creeping me out."

"Heh heh heh heh heh heh…" he giggled manically, sitting on the floor. Suddenly he shot to his feet again. "OKAZAKI, YOU BASTAAAARD!" He ran from the room, leaving a trail of drool and the door wide open.

Yukine and I looked at each other, then the door. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked.

"I…hm. I'm not sure," I replied. "The last time he called me that was after you came by my classroom to ask about what lunch to make."

"Poor boy," she said sympathetically as she picked up a towel. "He must have been very upset."

"I guess," I mused. "As far as I know, he's been by himself since…yeah, since last Thursday."

"Do you two normally hang out after school?" she asked as she pushed the towel around the floor with her foot, cleaning up Sunohara's…mess.

I shrugged. "I wouldn't call it that." As I shut the door I realized that in spite of all of our time together I didn't really know much about Sunohara. "I guess our 'friendship' is because of convenience more than anything."

She shook her head, causing her lovely brown curtain to sway. "I don't understand."

I sighed with a small smile. "Back when we were first-years, Koumura-sensei introduced us to each other; I figured that it was to give us a reason to come to school. I don't know much about his family – in fact, I learned that he has a younger sister just in the last week – and, as far as I know, he doesn't know much about mine."

"That's too bad," she said as she placed a steaming mug before me.

"It's fine," I replied matter-of-factly. "We're not friends for any of the usual reasons, so I really didn't expect it to last. Oh, and thanks for the coffee," I said, briefly raising my mug.

"You're welcome."

"Listen, uh…" I looked down at my hands as they gripped my mug as though it was a hand warmer. "I've been giving a lot of thought to your parents' offer, and…"

"And?" She almost sounded hopeful.

I nodded, more to myself than anything. "After our time on Saturday, I'd like to move some of my things into the spare room, if that's okay."

I heard a gasp and looked up to see Yukine with her hands against her cheeks and tears brimming in her eyes. "Really?" she breathed.

I smiled self-consciously. "Y-Yeah. I think it's past time I got my act together, but I can't do anything while Dad and I are still…" I waved my hands around," …bouncing off each other like this."

"O-Okay," she stammered. "I-I'll let Daddy know, okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. And make sure to thank your parents again for me, will you?"

"I will," she promised. She reached out hesitantly, and I smiled and also reached out, giving her delicate hand a gentle squeeze.

* * *

When I got back to class Sunohara was already asleep as his desk. I felt a twinge of guilt as I saw a red mark on his face, right where I'd punched him. I plopped down into my seat and allowed a smile to creep across my face as I thought about the upcoming Saturday.

"Okazaki-kun…?

"Yeah?" I looked up to see Fujibayashi standing by my desk. "What's up?"

Of course she was her usual shy, timid self. "You…seem happy."

"I'm sorry," I said. "Am I breaking the rules?" I forced my face into a scowl. "Is that better?"

"No! No, that's not it…" she squeaked, her face starting to color.

"Oh, I see; how about this?" I shifted my scowl to a sad face. "Seems like the students here would look more like this."

"O-Okazaki-kun…" She was clearly trying not to laugh this time. "A-Are you trying to be funny?"

"Trying?" I asked, now trying to imitate an ape's expression. "Naw, I was just thinking of joining the weightlifting club."

"I-I don't think…" Fujibayashi was losing control of her giggles. "I d-don't think *giggle* they have any apes in that club."

"You don't think so?" I finally relaxed my face. "I'm sorry; what was your question again?"

"Well…" What a shame; she was reverting to her timid self again. "I-I was saying that you seemed happy."

"That's 'cause I am."

"Oh." She seemed genuinely surprised. "That's…that's good…right?"

I nodded thoughtfully; apparently I wasn't done teasing the younger twin. "I dunno…what do you think?"

She burst into a fit of giggles. Finally! I had broken through. "Okazaki-kun…you're so funny!"

"Thank you, thank you," I said, bowing the best I could while still in my seat. "Unfortunately, the show must come to an end; class is about to start," I finished, pointing at the clock.

"Oh! Goodness, of course!" she chirped, then quickly bowed. "I'm happy to see you doing well, Okazaki-kun."

"Thanks, Fujibayashi," I said before she headed back to her seat, still giggling.

I felt her gaze on me several times during class but tried to ignore it; I had learning to do, after all.


	8. Finally!

**Chapter Eight: Finally!**

The final bell rang, signaling the start of our day-and-a-half weekend. I smiled giddily as I grabbed my books and started shoving them into my bag.

"You that eager to hang out with me?" quipped Sunohara.

"Not happening today, my idiotic blonde friend," I said somewhat absently as I tried to find my English book.

"Hey! Did you just call me an idiot?!" he complained. "Wait, you called me 'friend', too…" He paled. "No…say it isn't so…you're going on another DATE?!"

"Not a date," I corrected. "We're not dating, so it can't be a date."

"You can date before you start dating!" he tried arguing, and then blinked. I snorted as he muttered, "Date before dating?" over and over again.

I shouldered my bag and turned to nearly bump into- "Whoa! Good to see you too, Fujibayashi, but how about a little space?"

"I'm sorry!" she squeaked. "I didn't expect you to turn around so quickly!"

I caught myself glancing at the door repeatedly and stopped myself. "No problem. Did you need something? I'm sorry; it's just that I have someplace I need to be."

"O-Okay," she replied, her cheeks pinking. "H-Have a good time!" She quickly bowed and hurried back to her desk.

She was sure acting strange lately, but finding out what was going on would have to wait for another time.

* * *

Fortunately, I was able to leave the classroom with enough time that I didn't have to run.

Unfortunately, I had to run anyway when I saw Yukine waiting for me by the main gate. She smiled as I came to a stop before her. "Hello, Tomoya-san."

I took a moment to catch my breath; even though I didn't have to run very far, I was still tired and out-of-shape. "I'm sorry! Did you wait long?"

She ducked her head shyly. "About ten minutes, but my class let out early; you're not late."

I ran my fingers through my unruly hair. "I didn't think I was, but I still feel bad for making you wait."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Tomoya-san. Are you ready to go?"

"Since Sunday," I replied with a smile.

"Oh my," she giggled as she hid a blush behind her hand. "You always know just what to say, don't you?"

"Not really," I said. "I just say what I think or how I feel and accept the consequences. Here, let me take that," I said, reaching for the bag.

"Thank you."

I took the bag from her and inwardly smiled; it was as heavy as last time. Yukine sure knew how to go all-out with her cooking.

"How are your mom and dad doing?" I asked. "Your dad seemed pretty stressed when I was there on Sunday."

"They're fine," she replied. "Dad has been pretty upset, but since it has to do with his job he can't tell us about it."

"What is his job, anyway?" I felt somewhat stupid for not thinking to ask him when I had the chance.

She put her finger to her lips, and I got to enjoy her 'thinking' face. "He works for a big bank out of Tokyo. He's on the board of directors or something like that."

"He must be gone a lot, then."

She shook her head. "No, not really. Not anymore, at least. He was at first, but now he can do a lot of work from home, like business meetings on the phone and things like that."

"That's good."

"Yeah, I really missed him when he had to travel so much," she said with a heart-melting smile. "He still has to attend meetings every once in a while, but a lot of times he just does a couple of phone meetings, some work on the computer, and then we can play board games." Her eyes suddenly grew wide. "Oh, we should have had you play board games with us! You would have had so much fun!"

"I can imagine," I said. "Your parents seem like really neat people."

"Thank you," she said, looking at the ground as she blushed. "They think…well, I think they're fond of you."

"You think so?"

She nodded. "You won Mom over almost before you came in the door."

"Riiiiight," I replied, wishing I could forget. "I humiliated myself pretty badly, there."

"Maybe," she giggled, "but Mom was really impressed. And Dad? I think it was when he told you to face him 'like a man' and you did." She looked down at the ground again, gently kicking a pebble out of her path as we walked. "I think if you hadn't done that, then he wouldn't let me see you anymore."

"That seems kind of harsh."

She shook her head. "Not really. Daddy tried to teach Kazuto and me that we need to face who we are, make our choices and accept the consequences." She glanced over at me. "If we can't do that then we can't become the best we can be or serve others very well."

"Is that why you're such a lady?"

"A lady?" she put her finger to her lips again. "You've called me that many times, but…I never really thought of myself as one."

"Well, you sure seem…what's the word…? Refined? Yeah, you seem refined to me." I gave myself a moment to gather my thoughts. "I mean, with how you're kind and gentle and supportive and a really good cook and know how to clean…you're like the perfect woman."

"T-Tomoya-san!" she squeaked, her face turning scarlet. "Stop that! I hate blushing in public!"

"I'm sorry, but that's what I see."

"Th-thank you," she replied. "But…But what about you?"

"What about me?"

She came to a stop, causing me to do the same. "Well, just look at you! You're tall, handsome, strong, kind, caring-"

"Okay, stop!" I barked, holding up my free hand. "Delinquents aren't usually kind or caring-"

"Then you're not a delinquent," she said with a confident smile, and started walking again.

I smiled as well as I hurried to catch up with her.

* * *

"Yukine, you've outdone yourself again!" I exclaimed after finishing yet another of her egg sandwiches.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I'm glad you like it."

"And I'll be eating like this from now on!" I nearly crowed. "Thank you, God!"

She giggled behind her hand again before becoming serious. "Um, Tomoya-san?"

"Yeah?" I said, reaching for another sandwich.

"May I ask you a question?"

I looked at my sandwich before putting it on my paper plate and leaning back on my hands. "Sure, Yukine; what is it?"

She gave me an uncertain look before opening her mouth: "You've called me a 'lady' many times, and I appreciate it, but…Is it okay for a lady to have her own wants?"

"Huh?" What had brought this on?

She scooted a little closer to me. "Is it okay for a lady to have her own wants?"

"I-I suppose…"

"Even if it's an expensive thing?" she asked, scooting even closer.

I blew air noisily from my lips as I tried to think. "I-I don't see why not."

"What if…it's a person?"

"A person?!" I exclaimed. "I mean, as long as you're not talking about slavery, I guess it's fine."

I felt the hair on my arms stand on end as she scooted up next to me and laid a hand on my chest. Her face was just inches from mine; I could smell the strawberry on her breath. "What if…" she licked her lips. "What if it's you?"

I swallowed hard. "A-As long as you're that lady, I-I think it's okay."

She smiled softly before closing her eyes and leaning in to press her lips to mine.


	9. Another Reset Button

**Chapter Nine: Another Reset Button**

"A few rules while you are living with us," Rentarou said as we sat around the dinner table. "One: Neither of you are to be in the other's room at any time."

Yukine hesitantly raised her hand. "Dad? If it's okay, I'd like Tomoya-san to at least see my room once."

He sighed and smiled ruefully at his wife. "Already looking for exceptions, are we?"

"It's not like that, Dad," Yukine protested. "I'm only asking for one time, and you can be there if you want."

Rentarou chuckled softly. "Fine; one time, and I'll trust you with this. I just don't want this to become a habit."

"It won't," she promised.

"Fine, then." Her father folded his hands together. "Two: Okazaki-san, you will help out around the house. I will not allow you to freeload."

"I wouldn't want to," I replied. "Freeload, that is."

"We didn't think so, dear, but we just wanted to be sure we were on the same page," Haruka said.

I nodded. "Understood."

Rentarou started counting off on his fingers. "Stay out of each other's rooms, help out around the house, make sure you get to bed so you get enough sleep, and do your schoolwork."

"Got it, sir."

"May I show him my room, now?" Yukine asked.

"Go ahead," her father replied, "but no funny business; I've seen the way you two have been looking at each other."

"Dear," Haruka said in a lightly admonishing tone as Yukine covered her face.

The minute she was able to pry a hand away from her face, Yukine grabbed my hand and nearly dragged me upstairs.

"Why do you want to show me your room so badly?" I asked as she pulled me through the doorway into her room.

She simply giggled as she let go of my hand and started to shut the door.

"Whoa!" I hooked my hand on the door, stopping it, and looked down to her surprised expression. "What are you doing? Your parents just gave me their trust, and I don't want to do anything that could wreck that!"

Her face fell, and she looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, Tomoya-san; I guess I got carried away." She looked back up at me with watery eyes. "I just…wanted to kiss again."

"Me, too," I admitted. "But we need to wait for another time…like Monday!" I finished with a smile.

"I know," she said. "It just seems so long to wait."

"It is, but we'll be okay," I told her with all the confidence I could muster.

* * *

Monday came soon enough and, as usual, we found ourselves in the Reference Room during lunch.

We sat, just sipping at our coffee, and I found myself enjoying the quiet of the room. It made me think of those paintings that show a kitchen out in the country; peaceful and…slow? Like there was no need to rush like it was in the city.

I glanced over at her, and she smiled over her mug before taking another sip, her gaze catching mine…

…and then we were pulling away from each other, leaning on the table between us, and I realized that we had just kissed.

It was a weird feeling, really, because I didn't remember moving; I remember the kiss, but it wasn't like a regular memory. It was more like… like I remembered it in my heart instead of my head.

The room was dead quiet, and I found myself caressing her face and softly saying, "You are so very beautiful." I didn't know where I'd learned to talk like that, and I frankly didn't care.

She glanced down, blushing, and then looked back into my eyes…

…and then we were kissing again. It wasn't a 'deep kiss' or an erotic kiss, but it was an intense one. I felt like I wasn't kissing just her lips, but I was somehow kissing everything that made her 'Yukine'. This time we weren't kissing over the table; we must have moved around the table because I felt her hands at the back of my neck, gently pulling my head down to hers, and my hands on her waist, and her body against mine, and I could smell the earthy odor of some flower. I could hear quiet whimpers, and I wasn't sure if they were hers or mine. Or both.

When we finally broke the kiss I felt like I was losing part of myself, and when I opened my eyes I could see tears pooling in hers. Without saying anything I wiped away her tears with a finger before kissing her on each closed eyelid, and I could hear her rough breathing, like she'd just run a race. Then I held her gently and just enjoyed the feel of her, her smell, the sound of her breathing.

"Tomoya?" she murmured into my chest. "What just happened?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "But I liked it."

"Me too."

* * *

It was with awkward smiles that Yukine and I met up at the main gate after school.

"Hi," she greeted quietly, repeatedly glancing up at me from under her eyelashes.

"Hi," I replied somewhat self-consciously; I figured we were both feeling awkwardness from the situation in the Reference Room. "So, uh, summer break's coming up…any plans?"

She giggled, causing me to see butterflies and small birds. "Of course; I'm going to spend as much of it as I can with you."

"I KNEW IT!" We both jumped at the sudden outburst and looked to see Sunohara nearby; how he had gotten so close without either of us seeing him… "You're dating now, aren't you?!"

I felt Yukine slip her hand into mine, and I squeezed it affectionately. "We are, now."

"I KNEW IT!" he repeated, and I thought I saw the puffs of smoke coming from his nose again. "I NEVER STOOD A CHANCE, DID I?! OKAZAKI-"

"'YOU BASTARD!', right?" I finished for him. "Yeah, I get it."

He stared at us for several seconds, his mouth frozen open before: "YAAAAAARGH!"

"You could always try Nagisa!" I yelled helpfully at his retreating form before shaking my head. "Idiot."

I felt my spirits lift as Yukine giggled again. "You two really get along, don't you?"

I chuckled as I watched him get smaller in the distance. "Yeah, I guess so."


	10. The New Normal

**Chapter Ten: The New Normal**

I couldn't find Yukine in the Reference Room the next day, so I wandered about the hallway looking for her. It wasn't like her to be away from the RR for long, if at all, so I was worried about her.

Eventually I found her down one of the school's many hallways, surrounded by three other second-years. Even from far away I could tell they weren't being nice to her, as the distress on her downturned face was unmistakable.

As I got closer I started to hear what the other girls were saying:

"Are you going there again?"

"What, you too good to eat with the others?"

"Why're you always letting those losers into our school?"

My anger blurred any further words. I wasn't about to let anyone treat my Yukine like that!

I gave my girl a smile as I approached the quartet. "Hey, Yukine."

The other three girls' heads spun in my direction, and I could have sworn that one of them had stars in her eyes.

Yukine looked up at me, and relief flooded her expression. "Tomoya-san!"

"You okay there?" I asked soothingly. "You looked pretty upset."

"I'm…fine."

I turned to the other girls. "You weren't being mean to my girl, were you?"

Three faces simultaneously paled. "N-no, senpai!" answered the apparent leader of the group.

"O-Of course not, senpai!" another chimed in.

The starry-eyed one opened her mouth but only managed a squeak.

"Well, that's good. I'm glad to know that the three of you are treating her nicely…right?"

"Absolutely, senpai!" two of them replied in unison, while the third squeaked again.

I gave them a broad smile before reaching for Yukine's hand. "C'mon beautiful; let's go have lunch."

The girls gasped and Yukine's eyes widened as she took my hand. "O-Okay."

A few minutes and one mug of coffee later, Yukine had calmed enough to talk. "They were making fun of me for being in here so much," she explained.

"I don't care about their reasons," I objected. "They shouldn't treat you like that."

She set her mug down and stared at it. "Tomoya-san…? Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

Her question caught me off-guard. "Huh?"

She folded her hands in front of her chest. "Just before you brought me here, you called me 'beautiful'; did you really mean that?"

I took several seconds to think about my answer; I knew what I was thinking, but I needed time to put it into words.

"T-Tomoya…?" I could feel her gaze upon me, likely with a worried look.

I sighed heavily. "I'll admit that I used that word without thinking…but I wouldn't have used it if I didn't believe it in the first place." I could feel my face grow hot as I met her gaze.

She rose from her seat to stand near me. "Then…would you be willing to tell me that I'm beautiful again?" She quickly covered her face. "I'm sorry!"

I watched her as she covered her face and trembled. God, she was adorable; how could I not call her 'beautiful'?

So I got to my feet and took her by the shoulders. "Yukine? Look at me."

Her hands slid down and off of her face, forcing herself to look me in the eye.

It was embarrassing, but I steeled my nerves, and: "You. Are. Beautiful."

She gasped as she backed out of my grip, her hands moving back to covering her mouth as tears trickled from her eyes.

What happened next left me at a loss for words: Her hands fell away from her mouth to her sides, her eyes closed and her lips parted just slightly, and I suddenly saw not a second-year student in a school uniform in a dusty room full of books…but a princess in a castle wearing a long, flowing white gown, with birds and butterflies flying around her…

It left me in awe, like when the first man saw the first woman. If she was anything like Yukine, he probably said 'Wow…'

Which is exactly what I said: "Wow…"

Apparently in response, her eyes opened, and her tears glistened like diamonds in her clear blue eyes. "Thank you, Tomoya; you don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that."

My mind was feeling fuzzy, but I still managed a response: "A-Actually, I think I might."

She raised her shoulders slightly with a giggle, which seemed to break the spell. "You feel better, then?" I asked quietly.

She said nothing as she approached me again. When she got close enough, she took my face in her hands and gently pressed her lips to mine, and my senses were briefly overwhelmed by her pure femininity. The swelling in my chest caused me to respond in kind, and I could hear a whimper come from deep within her soul.

I felt her knees buckle, so I carefully lowered her to my lap as I sat cross-legged on the floor. She gripped the front of my shirt and, just before closing her eyes, looked deep into mine and said: "What a man…"

"Thanks, Yukine," I said softly.

A few minutes later the grip in my shirt relaxed, and I figured she had fallen asleep. I took the opportunity to study her face; her soft brown hair brushed her forehead, her eyelashes were a lot longer than they looked when her eyes were open, her delicate nose came to an adorable point, and her small mouth had surprisingly full lips. She was a very beautiful girl.

I don't know how long we were like that, with Yukine sleeping and me gazing at her perfect face, but the bell still rang too soon; her eyes opened, and I almost drowned in their blue depths. "Good morning, beautiful," I greeted softly.

She gazed into my eyes for a long time before reaching up to put her hand behind my head to bring our lips together. "Good morning," she replied after we finally broke the kiss.

"We'd better get going," I prompted gently. "The first bell just rang."

She nodded as she started to stretch, still seated in my lap, and I quickly adjusted my posture to keep her from rubbing up against anything that I would have had a hard time explaining.

She finished stretching, and I held my hands up so she could use them to help herself up off my lap. I then got up and shook off a tingling feeling in my leg. "My leg fell asleep," I explained, causing her to giggle.

We gathered our things and made our way down the hallways to Yukine's classroom. "See you after school, beautiful," I said.

"See you after school…stud."

"S-Stud?" Heat exploded in my face as she giggled and spun to enter her classroom.

As I stood there, stupefied, I saw Yukine's classmates giving me looks ranging from suspicion to amusement. I shook my head and clapped my hands on my cheeks. "Right!" I declared, and headed to my own classroom.


	11. A Turn for the Worse

**Chapter Eleven: A Turn for the Worse**

Saturday came, and with it another picnic. As usual, we met at the main gate after school.

"I'm sorry," she said, gently bopping herself in the head with a hand, "I forgot to pack one of the dishes."

"Don't worry about it," I replied with a smile. "We can go back and get it."

"No," she said, shaking her head, "that's okay. Go ahead to our usual spot and I'll run home and get it; it isn't heavy, so I shouldn't take long."

"Are you sure? I'm okay with coming with you."

"No, no. Go on ahead and set up our spot; I won't be long."

"Okay," I said, and I reached out to circle an arm around her waist, drawing her to me to kiss her reddened cheek. "See you later, then."

Blushing, she gave me a smile and a giggle before hurrying ahead of me down the hill. I chuckled to myself as I followed her, although at a slower pace.

I was tempted to follow her all the way home, but decided to be a good boy and head to the park. I laid out the blanket and found the dishes that didn't need to be cool and put them out; I figured we'd put them out once she arrived. Seeing a container of strawberries, I smiled to myself as I made the commitment to feed some of them to her during lunch.

About fifteen minutes later I was starting to worry. I chalked it up to over-protectiveness, though, and continued to wait. A little later I checked my watch to find forty-five minutes had passed. I didn't know how far Yukine's house was from the park, but I knew that she should have arrived already.

"What's going on?" I thought out loud as I repacked the bag. I was more than a little worried at this point; I didn't have a cell phone, so I couldn't call her house, so heading there was really my only option.

My tensions heightened when I saw police cars outside her home. "Yukine…?" I started to run.

"Yukine?" I half-yelled as I burst though the front door.

"It's okay," Rentarou said with pain in his expression as two police officers moved toward me. "He's her boyfriend."

I looked to Haruka, who was crying against her husband's shoulder.

One officer turned his notepad toward me. "You were with Miyazawa-chan after school, correct?"

"Yes, sir." I looked from Yukine's parents' pained expressions to the officer's equally stern ones. "What's going on?"

Rentarou turned his gaze directly on me, and my eyes widened as I could almost feel the agony in his expression. "Okazaki-san; Yuki-chan's…been kidnapped."

My world suddenly turned dark.

* * *

I woke up, feeling more than a little disoriented.

"He's coming to," I heard a voice say.

"What happen-ow," I complained, as my head throbbed with pain.

"Congratulations, son…" I looked over to see an officer smiling at me. "You just removed yourself from the list of suspects."

"Yay for me," I said, cradling my pulsating head. "Wait, list of suspects?"

"Kidnapping suspects," I heard Yukine's father say. "Yukine was kidnapped."

"At least that's what we believe right now," the smiling officer amended. "What's your name, son?"

"Okazaki Tomoya," I answered, relieved that the pain was starting to subside.

"Where do you live?"

I gave him my dad's address. "But I'm living here with the Miyazawas right now," I added.

"We'll need to ask a few more questions," the officer said, closing his notepad. "We'll be back tomorrow to give you some time to recover from the shock."

"Finding Yukine would help me recover," I muttered.

Officer 'Smiley' laid a hand on my shoulder. "Then help us out: between now and tomorrow, try to remember everything you can about what happened before you last saw her, okay?"

"Okay," I said, nodding. "Sorry about the smart-ass remark."

"I've heard worse," he said with a chuckle. "I can tell that she means a lot to you, so get some sleep and remember everything you can, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

He jerked a thumb at Yukine's parents. "For them too, right?"

I nodded, allowing a slight smile. "Right." As her parents, they had lost more than I had with her disappearance.

The officers left after some words of encouragement, and I made my way over to the Miyazawas and dropped to a bow, my forehead pressed against the floor. I didn't care if I cried, I was going to say it: "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have let her go by herself! I should've gone with her!"

I felt gentle touches to my head and shoulders, and I looked up into the smiling though sad faces of Rentarou and Haruka. "It's okay, son," he said. "You didn't know."

"You couldn't have known," she added.

I wasn't going to let myself off the hook that easily, though. "But…"

"Remember what we talked about a few days ago? About how regret is wishing we had knowledge when we needed it?" Yukine's dad ran his finger through my hair a few times, which had the surprising effect of calming me down. "This is one of those times, son." He pulled his hand back to hold it out to me. "Come on, get up; groveling isn't going to bring her back."

"Besides, I haven't swept yet, so the floor is terrible," Yukine's mom added with a trembling smile.

I gave what felt like a trembling smile of my own as I took Rentarou's hand and got to my feet. "I guess I should be focused on doing what the policeman said," I said as I blotted my eyes with my sleeves.

"We all have homework now," he suggested.

That may have been true, but I wanted to do more. If someone had kidnapped Yukine, I wanted to find that person and hurt him. I wanted to make him hurt as much as he hurt me…and especially her parents. I wanted to make it so whoever it was would never hurt anyone again.

After dinner I thanked 'mom' for the meal, then went into my room and wrote down everything I could remember before Yukine and I parted ways.

I also made a second list…of plans…


	12. Plans to Actions

**Chapter Twelve: Plans to Actions**

Word had apparently gotten around school by the time I arrived.

"I'm so sorry, Okazaki-kun," Fujibayashi said consolingly. "I can't even imagine what you must be going through right now."

"Or her parents," Kyou added, walking up to our growing group. "Hey, Tomoya."

"Sorry Kyou, I don't have the energy for our traditional back-and-forth today," I said, feeling quite tired-no, depleted.

"Don't worry," she replied, shaking her head. "I'll wait until this is taken care of before I start picking on you again."

"I appreciate it."

Fujibayashi glanced around us before leaning in. "I think the teachers would understand if you missed school today."

"No," I said, "I'd just sit at home feeling miserable. If I'm going to be miserable, I should be here."

"Okazaki-kun…" she giggled.

"What did the police say?" Kyou asked.

"Right now, they're treating it as a kidnapping. There's really no reason for her to run away that I know of…she seems to get along with her parents really well, and…well…"

"Yeah, everyone's heard about you two," the older twin quipped with a catty smile.

I looked down at my desk to try to hide my red face.

"Did the police talk to you?" Fujibayashi asked.

"Yeah," I replied, looking back up. "I told them everything I could remember, but I can't tell you anything other than that."

"We understand," she replied, sharing a nod with her older sister.

Kyou gave me an appraising look. "You don't seem as upset as you should be."

I deliberately avoided her gaze. "I've…been making plans."

I heard a gasp and looked up into Fujibayashi's astonished expression. "You don't mean…? Okazaki-kun, you know that vigilantism is illegal, right?"

I shrugged with my hands. "I know, but I need to at least do something! Sitting on my hands…" A stirring in my gut drove me to my feet. "She's my girl, I was supposed to protect her and I'm going to do something about it!" I fell back into my seat, spent of what little energy I had saved.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up into Kyou's sympathetic eyes. "Listen Tomoya; if we can help in any way, you just let us know, okay?"

"Thanks," I said, then realized…Kyou was a marksman with books. "Yeah…I may just take you up on that."

But first…I had to offer an apology and make a request…

* * *

"Tomoyo? Can you spare a minute?"

The silver-haired girl turned toward me with a guarded expression. "What do you want?"

I sighed; she had every right to be angry with me. It was bad enough that Sunohara had been a jerk, dragging her out to fight his battles for him, but…what I did was worse; I didn't stand up for her. "I have a request, but first…" I dropped to the floor, touching my forehead to it. "I am so sorry for the way I treated you the last time we were together. I was too much of a coward to tell Sunohara off, and I feel really bad about that."

"You should," she said with a steely voice, and I looked up to see her turning to walk away.

"Wait," I scrambled to my feet and reached for her shoulder. The next thing I knew I was flat on my back, looking at the ceiling.

It didn't register what had happened until Tomoyo's face appeared above mine. "Oh my god, Tomoya!" she cried. "Are you all right?"

"Wh-What happened?" I asked weakly.

"I…I-I-I-I-I kicked you wh-when you grabbed my shoulder." She quickly knelt next to me, and I turned my head to follow her. Strange; it didn't hurt…much. "I am so sorry," she said, tears pooling in her eyes. "I-It was reflex."

I thought it was interesting that she didn't refer to it as 'self-defense' like she had all of the other times, but I had more important things to ask. "Tomoyo…will you forgive me? And…teach me how to fight?"

She gazed down at me with an incredulous expression before chuckling in spite of her tears. "I-I forgive you, Tomoya. You want to save Miyazawa, right? That's why you want to learn to fight?"

I nodded carefully, still flat on my back.

"I-I would love to help you," she replied with a sad smile.

* * *

I slowly opened the door to the Reference Room and entered it just as slowly. Part of me still hoped that she would be here, making coffee and apologizing for making me worry or something like that.

But my steps echoed in an empty room.

I eased into my usual spot at the table and looked at the chair across from me, where she would sit while we drank coffee and talked. I could see her sitting there, giggling at something I had said or at one of my 'interactions' with Sunohara. "Get along so well, huh?" I murmured to myself.

I pictured the way she would push her hair back over her ear or how she would smile or how her eyes would close when we kissed.

I wondered what it was like when she was taken; did she call for her mom and dad, or did she…call…for…

I slowly crumpled onto the tabletop and let myself cry…again.

* * *

After calling Yukine's parents to let them know where I was, I hung out in the Reference Room after school and, by the time I left, it was dark.

The dark didn't bother me; I'd been out after dark a lot in my 'previous life', so it wasn't like this was anything new. I took out the cell phone that Yukine's parents had loaned me and called them, apologizing for being out too long and letting them know I was on my way home.

As I walked down the last stretch of road before the corner to Yukine's house I noticed a car parked alongside the road. I normally wouldn't have paid much attention except that the car's color was so dark that it startled me when I realized it was there. It appeared to be kind of wedge-shaped but otherwise unremarkable, so I moved on.

As I rounded the last corner before the Miyazawa residence I noticed several people in dark clothing hanging out in front, and it occurred to me that they could have been connected to Yukine's disappearance. As quietly as I could, I crept up closer to the group. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but it was clear that they were trying not to be noticed.

As I moved to hide behind a dustbin, my foot struck a can that hadn't quite made it in.

They immediately tensed up, as did I. "Who's there?" I heard a gruff male voice call out. Then, in a lower voice: "Go check it out."

Crap. If I stayed, I was as good as caught.

I got up and ran as fast as I could. Behind me I could faintly hear "Don't let him get away!" Unfortunately I was still pretty out-of-shape, so as I ran I looked for somewhere to hide.

I rounded the corner and saw that the dark car was still there and, hoping that I could use it to hide, grabbed the handle and pulled.

Surprisingly, the door opened and I dove inside, slamming it shut behind me and, after a quick search, pushing down on the lock.

A few seconds later, three figures rushed by; their clothing looked the same as the ones outside Yukine's house.

I needed to get to a police station, but I didn't dare get back out of the car. So, with an apology to the car's owner, I reached below the steering wheel – it looked more like a airplane's yoke – to see if I could 'hot-wire' the car to start. I then blinked as I realized that the driver's seat was on the wrong side of the car.

" _May I ask what you're doing, young man?"_


	13. Surprise Allies

**Chapter Thirteen: Surprise Allies**

I froze. Was one of the bad guys in the car with me somehow? I whipped my head around to look in the back seat; all I saw was the back seat. A quick check of the front passenger's seat confirmed what I thought I already knew; empty. "Wh-Who's there?" I demanded.

" _I'm going to have to ask you to move to the other seat, please."_

"Not until you tell me where you are!"

I heard a tinny sound that sounded like a sigh. _"Very well, but it will have to wait for later. Now please move, or I will have to move you myself."_

Not liking the sound of the politely-voiced threat I quickly moved to the passenger seat.

" _Thank you."_

About a minute later I heard the driver's-side door unlock. A figure hurried to the door, opened it and half-fell into the driver's seat. He shouted something I couldn't understand, and the dashboard lit up as the car started. "Who are you?" I yelled.

The man glanced at me before saying something about a 'friend', and it took me a moment to realize that the man was speaking English, which explained why I couldn't understand him.

The voice from earlier said something I couldn't understand, then: _"Michael, you're frightening the young man. Please speak Japanese."_

"Sorry, sorry…" the man said, trying to focus on the road. "I had to go out a back window on the second floor to get out of there."

"Get out of where?" I demanded. "What's going on?" I was plastered against the passenger-side door by this point, trying to keep my distance from the strange man.

"It's okay, son," he said. "If you are who I think you are, I'm on your side."

I eyed him warily. "Who do you think I am?"

Even in the dim light, I could see him smile slightly. "Kit, you want to take this one?"

" _Certainly, Michael."_ A screen on the dashboard lit up, showing my high school photo. _"According to my records, your name is Okazaki Tomoya. Age: seventeen. Date of birth: October 30, 1985. Height-"_

"Okay, okay, I get the idea, you know everything about me! But who are you?"

The man took one hand off the steering wheel and extended it toward me. "Name's Michael Knight, though I guess you'd call me 'Knight Michael'."

" _The Japanese do go by surnames first."_

"Yes, Kit…

I reached out and shook his hand as I settled into my seat. "Nice to meet you sir, but…where's this 'Kit' you keep talking to?"

"You didn't introduce yourself?" Michael said in a scolding tone.

" _Our first meeting could have gone better,"_ the voice said dryly.

"Well, now's as good a time as any, buddy."

" _Very well. Okazaki-san, my name is more of designation than anything, so it doesn't translate to Japanese very well, but I will do my best to explain."_ My photo disappeared from the screen to be replaced by four English letters, stacked vertically. _"I am the Knight Industries Two Thousand, 'KITT' for short."_ The corresponding words 'stretched out' to the right of their respective letters.

"An acronym," I said, getting the gist of it. "But where are you?"

" _I was getting to that,"_ the voice replied, sounding slightly annoyed. _"I am the artificial intelligence, or AI, for the vehicle you presently sit within."_

"Amazing…" I breathed. "Where are you from? Are you American?"

"That we are!" Michael exclaimed. "We work for the Foundation for Law and Government."

" _Our job, as it were, is to apprehend those who attempt to operate above the law."_

"That's cool, but…wait, why are you telling me all this?" My fear was starting to return. "You're not going to have to kill me now, are you?"

"No way, kid!" Michael said as we negotiated a turn. "In fact, we're hoping you could help us. KITT?"

" _Yes, Michael."_ The lesson on KITT's name vanished from the screen, to be replaced by…

"YUKINE!" I cried as her school photo appeared on the screen.

" _It would appear that they_ _are_ _acquainted, Michael."_

"So it seems, buddy. Contact the Miyazawas and let them know Okazaki's with us."

" _Right away."_

He glanced over at me before he spoke again. "Okay, kid; here's the story: Apparently one of our banks in the good old US of A is trying to buy out one of your banks headquartered in Tokyo."

"Bank?" I said, still staring at the screen; I may have been gnawing on my knuckle. "Yukine said her dad is on the board of directors for a Tokyo bank."

"Right you are," Michael said, giving the wheel a tap. "And someone at the American bank is apparently getting impatient and going to more drastic measures to make sure the deal passes."

"So were you with Yukine's parents before…?"

"Before we met? Yup."

"Are they okay?" I hadn't seen them since before school, so…

He glanced over at me before reaching over and ruffling my hair. "You're a good kid, aren't you? Yeah, they're fine. Whoever's holding their kid isn't going to do anything more for now; they wouldn't want the attention."

"I don't understand all this," I said as I tried to fix my hair, "but if helping you will get Yukine back and hurt those who took her, you can count on me." I bowed as best I could. "I look forward to working with you."

Michael ducked his head. "I look forward to working with you, too."

" _I look forward to working with you as well, Okazaki-san."_

"Thank you, KITT," I said, bowing in the general direction of the dashboard.

The rest of the trip was quiet; I wasn't sure how long we had traveled, but it was easily another half-hour before an airport came in sight. Until then, it hadn't occurred to me that they would have had to fly to get to Japan. When we passed through a gate far from the terminal and headed toward a large cargo plane, things started to make sense.

"There she is," Michael sighed. "The 'Bishop'; home away from home."

I stared at the huge aircraft and wondered what I had gotten myself into.


	14. Dinner at Knight

**Chapter Fourteen: Dinner at Knight**

Apparently I had gotten myself into the lap of luxury; we pulled up the ramp at the back of the plane into what looked like a mechanic's garage, but beyond a certain point the floor appeared to be carpeted, and I could see what looked almost like an apartment, with chairs and tables, along with several computers. "Wooooowwww…" I breathed.

"Glad you like it!" Michael exclaimed; he seemed like he was the high-energy type. "The Army was going to scrap it, so we bought it and remodeled it into the Bishop." We came to a stop and got out of the car. "Sit tight, KITT," Michael said, gently tapping on the hood.

" _As though I had any other pressing engagements."_

He smiled, and I guess I did too, because he gave me a wink. "You like coffee? We have coffee, tea, and just plain water – purified, of course."

"Uh, yeah…"

Michael's face took on a look of concern and he came and put a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, you okay, kid? You don't look so good."

I clenched my teeth, determined to not break down in front of the older man. "Yukine…used to make coffee for Sunohara and I at school."

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry," he replied, and his expression showed genuine compassion.

"It's okay," I said. "I need to stop crying and start acting, anyway."

"That's the spirit, kid!" he exclaimed, clapping me on my shoulder – the good one, thankfully. "What say we eat something, talk about your situation, then we'll get you home?"

I heard a very female-sounding voice say something in an excited tone, and we turned to see an attractive older woman standing in front of a doorway at the opposite end of the room. She had long brown hair that flowed just past her shoulders and wore a white suit of some kind.

"Sweetheart, our guest here doesn't understand much English," Michael pointedly said in Japanese while giving me a knowing wink. "Okazaki, this is 'Bawnee'." He took a moment to spell out her name for me. "Bonnie. She's my wife…and KITT's mother."

"Mother?"

"My husband thinks he's being funny," Bonnie said; her Japanese wasn't as good as Michael's, but I could still understand her well enough. "I'm KITT's mechanic." She gave me a dazzling smile. "Well, you didn't tell me you were bringing such a handsome young man!"

I looked to the floor to try to hide my blush.

"We got anything to feed him?" Michael asked. "He probably hasn't eaten since lunch, right?"

Since it felt like the question was directed toward me, I looked back up. "Yes, sir."

"Manners, too!" she exclaimed while fanning herself, but quickly grew serious. "Would you be okay with a beef-and-rice dish? We haven't practiced much with Japanese dishes, so…"

"No, that's fine. Thank you very much," I said, bowing.

"While we're eating you can tell us what you remember," Michael said as he and Bonnie moved to a small cooking area on one side of the apartment. "Whatever you told the cops, you can tell us."

"Understood," I replied, relieved that I could finally do something.

"While we're working on this," Bonnie said, "why don't you go talk to KITT? He's probably feeling left out about now."

" _I am perfectly content, Bonnie, but I would welcome conversation with our guest."_

I blinked; I had been so caught up in my conversation with the Knights that I had forgotten about KITT. "I'm sorry KITT," I said as I turned toward the car, "I didn't mean to…wooooowwww."

The vehicle that stood before me was…beautiful. I was right that he was wedge-shaped, but I had missed how sleek and streamlined he was. I couldn't tell what make or model he was, probably due to him being an American car, but… "KITT…you look amazing."

" _Thank you Okazaki-san,"_ he replied. _"Had I a human circulatory system, I believe that I would be blushing right now."_

"What's this?" I kneeled down to examine a slot in the front of the hood, where a single red light swept back and forth. "Do you see with this?"

" _Very perceptive, young man. That is my Anamorphic Equalizer, an array of fiber-optics which allows me to see in all visual wavelengths."_

"That's pretty cool," I said, then suddenly felt self-conscious. "So I'm basically staring you in the eyes right now. Sorry about that," I said, quickly moving to what I hoped was a respectful distance.

" _It's quite all right; I am not offended, though your consideration_ _is_ _commendable."_

"Is...Is it all right if I…walk around you and look at you?"

" _Be my guest…as it were."_

I chuckled; KITT was so proper, unlike me. I found myself wanting to be more like him; calm, collected, and…understanding? Yeah, understanding. Great, now I wanted to be a computer. I filed those thoughts away for later as I walked around him. "What kind of car are you? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

" _Not at all. My current body is a modified 1982 Pontiac Trans Am."_

"Modified?"

" _This body has been heavily modified in many ways, the specifics of which I am not at liberty to discuss – other than the Anamorphic Equalizer, I suppose. I_ _can_ _say, however, that these modifications allow me to help Michael perform his duties as a crime fighter."_

"Amazing…" I said, shaking my head as I passed the back of the car, examining the rear spoiler. "I wish you could tell me more about yourself, but I think I understand."

" _I appreciate that, Okazaki-san."_

"So are you going to help bring Yukine back?"

" _I will do everything in my power to rescue your friend and apprehend those responsible for abducting her."_

I swallowed a lump in my throat as I made my way back to the front of the car, turned, and bowed deeply. "Thank you very much, KITT."

"How about that?" I heard Michael say, and I straightened to see him walking toward us. "Never thought you'd be bowed to, eh buddy?"

" _It_ _is_ _quite an honor, I must say. Had I the ability, I would return the gesture."_

The older man chuckled softly before addressing me. "Well, you ready to eat? It's not burned, so it should be okay."

"Michael!" I heard Bonnie protest in the background.

He just laughed and put his hand on my shoulder. "C'mon kiddo; let's eat."

Were it anyone else calling me 'kiddo' I would have a problem with it. But this American…there was something about him that made it all right.

* * *

After a delicious meal and a 'debriefing' (as the Knights called it), I was ready to go home.

"Thank you for the meal," I said as I bowed, and I realized that I had been doing that a lot lately.

"You're welcome, Okazaki-san," Bonnie said, giving me a hug. "Don't worry; we'll find her and bring her back."

"Thank you, ma'am," I replied, returning the hug; I felt a little awkward hugging a stranger, but it also felt good for some reason.

"KITT, could you take him home for me?" Michael asked while rubbing his shoulder. "No offense Okazaki, but I'm pretty tired."

"You're not as young as you used to be," Bonnie said, and I thought she was making a jab at him until I saw the concern in her expression.

" _Indeed, Michael. I was hesitant to bring it up earlier, but I have detected inflammation in your-"_

"Yes! Yes, KITT, thank you," Michael said, lifting a hand. I figured he was trying to save his dignity, so I suppressed a smile that was threatening to break out at the exchange. "Can you handle this for me?"

" _Certainly, Michael."_ KITT's passenger-side door opened on its own. _"Shall we, then?"_

After shaking hands with Michael and exchanging another hug with Bonnie, I hurried around and slid into KITT's front passenger seat. "Ready."

" _Not until you've buckled up, young man,"_ his voice gently scolded.

"Oh, right. Sorry," I said as I quickly located and buckled the seatbelt. "I'm used to riding buses and trains," I offered as an explanation.

I could have sworn that KITT 'humphed' as he backed out of the plane, but it must have been my imagination.


	15. The Drive Home

**Chapter Fifteen: The Drive Home**

I didn't realize how quiet I was being one the drive home until KITT pointed it out: _"You've been awfully quiet, Okazaki-san. Are you all right? All things considered, that is?"_

I sighed heavily. "Not really. I'm just frustrated, I guess. I want to do more than just talk; I want to rescue her myself."

" _Why is that?"_

I sighed again; great, I was starting to sound like Misae-san. "I just can't stop feeling like it's my fault. If I had gone with her-"

" _Then you could have been abducted along with her."_ I froze, but KITT kept talking. _"I do not wish to be insensitive, but blaming yourself will not help her or you. The blame lies with those who took her against her will."_

I knew he was right, but… "I get what you're saying, it's just…"

" _You are a man who believes that he failed to protect his girl, and desires to atone for said failure?"_

I pointed at…well, the dashboard. "That's it! Since I feel like I could have kept it from happening, I should be the one to fix it."

" _A remarkably mature view; I may have to cease referring to you as 'young man'."_

I barked a laugh. "Not yet, I still have a lot to learn."

" _As do we all."_

I licked my lips as I thought about how to phrase my question. "KITT…is there any way I can help, uh…more directly?"

" _More directly?"_

"Like…well, like Michael-san does."

KITT was silent for several seconds.

"KITT?"

" _At this point, I do not see any way. I've just finished a medical scan of you; you have severe trauma to your right shoulder, not to mention an overall lack of muscle tone. Your cardiovascular system's efficiency is significantly lower than the average for your age group."_

"Oh…I see."

" _I'm very sorry, Okazaki-san; I commend you for your desire to help."_

I thought of bringing up that I would be training with Tomoyo, but decided otherwise. They would need me ready now, but KITT had me nailed; I was far from ready. Not only that, I didn't know what training Michael had gone through for the job. So I settled for, "Thank you, KITT."

" _I_ _would_ _suggest that it is never too late for one to begin a fitness regimen. One never knows when it may be useful…"_

Did he just throw me a bone? "I-I'll keep that in mind. Do you have any suggestions?"

" _I thought you'd never ask."_

I spent the rest of the rest of the drive learning about different exercises I could do to build my strength and endurance while accounting for my injury.

* * *

I felt a sense of relief as the Miyazawa residence came into view. It had been a long day, and I felt completely drained. I got out of the car with a printout of a workout routine KITT had given me and turned to address…well, the dashboard, I guess. "Thanks, KITT…for everything."

" _You're quite welcome, young man. Have a pleasant evening."_

I shut the door and watched, still amazed, as KITT drove off on his own. During the entire trip it never occurred to me that he had been driving the whole time.

I barely had my hand up to knock on the door before it opened to reveal Yukine's mom. "Welcome home, Tomoya-san."

"I'm home," I said, though with a heavy heart.

She stepped aside to let me in. "The car called to let me know it was dropping you off," she explained. "That's how I knew when to let you in." She shook her head. "The things they do with technology these days."

I smiled at her expression; she seemed to be okay, all things considered. "I told Michael-san everything that I told the police," I said. "After talking to them…I think they'll be able to save Yukine."

"Well, with a talking car that can drive itself…"

"It's not that," I countered. "Well, partly." I described my meeting with KITT and the Knights in their big airplane. "I don't think it's just the technology; I think it's also because of the kind of people they are. They really care."

"I could see that," Rentarou said, coming into the room. "I only heard the end of what you were just saying, but when Michael-san was here I did get the sense that he really wanted to help us." He regarded me for a moment. "He told you the situation, right?"

"Yes, sir."

He nodded solemnly. "I know it's not my fault that this happened, but I still feel like I could have stopped this somehow."

"I know what you mean, sir."

He smiled gently at me. "Yes, I suppose you would, wouldn't you?" He then clapped his hands. "Well, we've done everything we can do for now; we've talked to the police as well as flag's agent."

"Flag?" I asked, then it hit me; it was the acronym for the organization that the Knights worked for. "Oh, right; FLAG."

Yukine's mom hid a yawn behind her hand. "It's pretty late, everyone."

"Agreed," her husband said, and it was then that I noticed that they were both in their nightclothes. "We need our rest," he pointed at me, "and you have a sleep schedule to adhere to."

I smiled, feeling the effects of a long day. "Yes, sir."

Back in my room I went over the list that KITT had given me. _"I'll update this as you improve,"_ he had said. Push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, sprints… "Is he trying to kill me?" I complained, falling out of my chair onto the bed. "He scanned me, so he probably knows me better than anyone, now." I sighed as I held the paper above my face. "Probably should start in the morning…"

I started to figure out how to schedule everything he had given me in light of the fighting practices I would be having with Tomoyo.

In the end, I decided to do half of the workout on the days that I had fight training, and the full routine on my off-days.

With my schedule finally worked out I allowed myself to yawn. I peeled my clothes off, put on my nightclothes, fell back into the bed, and was asleep in no time.


	16. The Art of Self-Improvement

**Chapter Sixteen: The Art of Self-Improvement**

Sakagami caught me as I was heading into my classroom to start the day. "Hey Okazaki, when do you want to start?" she asked as she drew a silver lock over her ear.

Fortunately, I had already given it some thought: "Well, I'd like to do training on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays if you're okay with that. I know you're still working on the election, so I'll understand if-"

"Got it," she interrupted. "Did you want to start today?"

I blinked. "Y-Yeah."

"After school okay?"

"S-Sure." I gazed at her for a moment. "Are you sure you're okay with this? I mean, we just got back on good terms, and I know I'm asking a lot, so-"

"It's okay, Okazaki," she interrupted again. "I want to help you, and I'm glad that we're…friends again."

"Thanks, Sakagami-san." I waited for her to say something, in response or otherwise, but she just stood there staring at me. "W-Well…you'd better get to class; I don't want to make you late."

"Huh?" She shook her head. "Oh, right! Class! See you later, then!" she called as she jogged off, hopefully to the right classroom; she had seemed a little out-of-it for a moment.

I smiled, shaking my head as I turned and entered my classroom.

I had barely settled into my seat before Fujibayashi appeared before my desk. "G-Good morning, Okazaki-kun."

"Morning," I grunted as I tried to fish first period's book out of my bag. It felt weird going to school after everything I'd been through over the weekend and Monday.

"Did…Did you have a nice talk with that second-year student?"

I glanced up in mild surprise before resuming my digging. "Sakagami? Sure. Why do you ask?"

Several seconds of silence caused me to look back up to see her blushing furiously; I thought I even saw a sweatdrop on her forehead. "No-No reason! I-I just don't see you talking to many people, and with your situation with Miyazawa-san…"

"Oh, I see. I'm fine, but thanks for worrying about me."

"Y-You're welcome."

I finally found my book and slapped it down on the desktop, causing her to jump. "Oops, sorry about that. To answer the question you haven't asked yet, she's going to be teaching me how to fight."

"To fight?"

"Yeah. KITT-I mean, a friend of mine told that if I'd been with Yukine that I could have been kidnapped as well. I'm decent in a fight, but I want to be able to defend myself if they come after me. I don't think they will, but still…"

"I think I understand," Fujibayashi said, putting her hand on my shoulder. "Do your best, then."

* * *

"You're late," Sakagami stood with her arms crossed as I ran up to her. "That doesn't look good for your first day."

"I'm sorry!" I gasped with my hands on my knees. "I got held after by the teacher."

She simply grunted before focusing behind me. "Did you need something? We're busy right now."

I looked behind me and was surprised to see Fujibayashi hurrying toward us. "Fujibayashi? What're you doing here?"

She came to a stop, lightly puffing, and I felt embarrassed yet again as how out-of-shape I was. "Please excuse me!" she exclaimed as she bowed deeply. "Okazaki-kun was held late by our teacher, which is why he was late getting here!"

The silver-haired girl looked to me again. "She knows?"

I nodded, my breath finally catching up with me. "She saw us talking this morning and asked. I figured it wouldn't hurt to tell her." I gave my class rep a small smile. "Thanks, Fujibayashi."

She instantly turned beet-red. "Y-Y-You're welcome! I-If you'll excuse me!" And with that, she turned and ran toward the main gate.

I shrugged as I turned back to Sakagami. "Sorry about that; I have some weird classmates."

"She likes you."

"Huh?"

Sakagami pointed in the direction of Fujibayashi's retreating form. "Your class rep likes you."

"Well yeah, of course she does; she stops by my desk at just about every…" I trailed off as I realized what she meant. "Oh."

She nodded. "I just thought you should know."

"Thanks, I guess," I said as we watched Fujibayashi disappear from view. "That's going to make class awkward from now on."

"Sorry, Okazaki; at first I thought you knew, but…" Her face pinked a little, to my surprise. "You ready to start?"

"Start…? Oh, right!" I took one more deep breath and shook out my limbs. "Yeah. Hey, uh, thanks again for this."

Sakagami smiled, albeit a little hesitantly. "I'm glad to help. At least I'll feel better knowing that my mercenary days won't have been wasted."

I felt a small but sharp pain in my head, but I managed to return her smile. "I'm grateful for those mercenary days now." I felt like I'd had this conversation before, but whatever.

Sakagami's cheeks reddened a bit as she coughed. "So, let's start with your fighting stance. I'm not going to have you punch or kick yet; I just want to get an idea of your center of balance, where you see your strengths, that kind of thing."

I winced as the pain in my head flared, but soldiered through and set myself up. "Like this?"

We then spent the rest of our time figuring out my strengths and weaknesses. "So we know what to work on," Sakagami had said. The limits of my right shoulder would have to be considered, of course, but in the end, she figured that with the right training I could still be a human wrecking ball if the situation demanded it.

* * *

I ached all the way home; after showing her the workout routine that KITT had given me, she had nodded and proceeded to brutalize me with it. Apparently she believed in exercising each muscle until it no longer worked. "You need to work your muscles to failure before they'll grow," she had said. With the way we had started, I figured that I'd look like Goku in no time.

I was rubbing my good shoulder as I rounded the corner to see… "KITT!" All of my soreness and stiffness was forgotten as I ran up to the black Trans-Am parked outside Yukine's home. "What are you doing here?" I asked as I got closer. The passenger door opened and I quickly got in and repeated my question, adding "It's good to see you!"

" _It is good to see you as well."_

"Where's Michael-san?"

" _Inside, talking with the Miyazawas. Are you all right, Okazaki-san? I've just scanned you again and found major muscle tearing and heightened levels of lactic acid."_

"I had some training today with one of my schoolmates," I said, squeezing a tight bicep. Was he going to scan me every time we met? "She worked me pretty hard."

" _So it would seem,"_ he said dryly. _"May I recommend a hot bath to help relax your muscles?"_

"Sakagami already told me about that, but thanks," I replied. "I plan on doing that right after dinner."

" _Well! I can see that I'm no longer needed."_ It sounded a lot like he was pouting.

"Aw KITT, I didn't mean it that way. I guess I wanted you to know that I'm taking this seriously. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

" _As I do not have an emotional set to injure, that would be effectively impossible. However, your concern is appreciated."_

I took a deep breath. "Are you sure that there's nothing I can do?"

" _It's interesting that you would bring that up."_ A drawer-like compartment slid out from the dashboard; inside of it laid a watch. _"Michael and Bonnie want you to have this. Michael was going to give it to you himself, but…"_

"You got to me first?"

" _Something like that."_

"Thanks, KITT," I said as I put it on.

" _Make sure to thank Michael when you get inside. He's probably not going to be happy with me."_

"You two are friends, so I'm sure he'll forgive you."

" _Yes, that's one thing that friends do, don't they?"_


	17. Keeping Watch

**Chapter Seventeen: Keeping Watch**

"Aw, I was looking forward to giving that to you!" Michael complained when I showed him the watch.

I bowed. "Please forgive him for spoiling your surprise."

I heard him chuckle. "Straighten up, kiddo; it's not that big of a deal." I straightened to see him smiling at me. "What do you think? You like it?"

I held up my wrist to study the watch a little more. "It's neat, but…I don't know what all these buttons are for."

"'Scuse us for a minute, folks," Michael said as he gave the Miyazawas a short bow. "Gotta teach the young man about his new toy."

"Go right ahead," Haruka said with a gentle smile.

We headed outside where KITT sat waiting. "You spoiled the surprise, buddy," Michael complained as the passenger-side door opened.

" _I'm terribly sorry, Michael; I would bow if I could."_

"Nah, don't worry about it," Michael replied, tapping the car's roof. "But we need to teach Okazaki here how to use his new toy. We have a manual for him?"

" _Unfortunately, no. we haven't needed a manual since you received yours. That reminds me; aren't you due for a replacement?"_

"Yeah, I am," Michael said, but he sounded hesitant. "I dunno, I guess I've grown attached to this one."

" _Attached to a watch. I find it interesting how humans can become so attached to their technology."_

"Interesting, isn't it?" Michael asked with a knowing smile.

There was a long pause before… _"All right, Michael; point taken."_

I found myself chuckling along with the older man. It was then that I realized that I hadn't really looked at him. Things had been so rushed that it had never occurred to me.

It was obvious that he was taller than me, easily close to two meters. He'd tower over most of my classmates, especially the girls. He was dressed casually in a white shirt with a black jacket, likely leather, worn over it. He had on blue jeans and tennis shoes, probably because of the very physical nature of his job. He looked older but not necessarily old; since I'd never seen an American before – or a white man, for that matter – I didn't know how they looked as they aged, but…he struck me as having a fatherly attitude, in any case.

"Well, you must have a copy of the manual in your memory, right?" I could hear him asking KITT.

" _Of course."_

"Then congratulations; you get to teach him about his new toy." Michael stepped around to the outside of the door. "After you, young man."

I eagerly climbed into KITT, where I got to learn everything I needed to know about the watch. Not only did it tell time, but it also functioned like a cell phone, letting me talk to the Knights and KITT whenever I wanted – and whenever they were available, of course.

"There are a few more bells and whistles in there," Michael added, "but we'll activate those and teach you about them as needed. Cool?"

"Cool!" I replied with an emphatic nod. "Thanks a lot, really…and thank Bonnie-san for me, please?"

"Sure thing." He scratched his face with an awkward chuckle. "Yeah, about that…I understand how you do things here, with honorifics and all that, but…go ahead and call me 'Michael', okay? I think Bonnie would feel better if you called her by name, too."

"If that's what you want…"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Okay…Thank you…Michael." It felt weird addressing someone older than myself by their first name without the honorific, but…

"That's better!" he said, beaming. "And, by the way, that watch looks good on you."

"Thanks," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. I guess if I was going to be working with Michael, I'd have to get used to praise.

* * *

"WHOA, OKAZAKI!" Sunohara gasped as he stared at my wrist. Somehow he had made it to school on time; it figured. "Your watch has so many buttons! What do they do?!"

"Hey, back off," I barked as I pulled my arm away from his poking fingers. "I haven't learned all of the functions yet, and I don't want your dumb ass breaking it."

"Where'd you get it?" he asked while tracking my wrist with his eyes.

"It was a gift, okay? Now leave me alone!" I yelled while trying to keep my watch away from his questing hands.

"Will you keep it down in here?!" We turned to see Kyou storming into the classroom, her typical annoyed expression firmly in place. "We can't hear ourselves think with you idiots being noisy in here!"

"Sorry, Kyou," I said. "Moron here is trying to mess with my watch."

"Are you children?" she asked incredulously. "It's a watch; just show it to him so he'll shut up!"

"Kyou, the watch is a gift. I don't want it broken before I've learned how to use it."

"How hard can that be?" Kyou countered. She grabbed my arm, lifted it, and: "Whoa; that's a lot of buttons." She reached for the strap. "What do all these buttons-"

SLAP

Kyou looked at me with wide eyes as I held the back of her hand. "Tomoya? What are you doing?"

"No," I said with conviction. "This might seem weird, but this watch is very important to me. Please leave it alone."

"S-Sure…" she tugged slightly, and I let go of her hand. "Sorry."

"Okazaki, you're amazing!" Sunohara gushed. "You made Kyou apologize for – GUUUAH!" He fell over due to the implantation of Kyou's fist in his face.

"Shut up, idiot!" Kyou and I yelled in unison, then looked at each other in surprise.

We watched as Sunohara climbed into his seat. "You…two…sure…seem…to get along," he managed to say.

* * *

"That must have taken some courage," Sakagami said with a hint of admiration. "I've heard about how violent Kyou can be."

"Honestly, it was just reflex," I said. "I grabbed her hand before I knew it."

"Really?" she asked as she reached for my wrist.

SLAP

Sakagami looked at me with wide eyes as I held the back of her hand. "Wow…that is fast."

"Sorry," I said, releasing her hand.

"It's okay; I was testing you," she admitted with reddened cheeks. "If I promise to behave myself, can I look at it?"

"Why are you so interested?" I asked.

She shrugged. "It caught Sunohara's and Kyou's attention, and you've kept them from touching it, so it must be special." She raised a hand. "I promise to behave."

I chuckled at her antics. "Sure. Just don't touch it, please. I don't know everything it can do, yet."

She made a point of putting her hands behind her back. She then leaned forward as I held out my wrist. I felt kind of silly, getting upset over a watch, but this wasn't just any watch.

"That's a lot of buttons," she observed, then smiled up at me. "You've probably heard that a few times already, huh?"

"A couple," I said, returning her smile.

"That is pretty neat," she said as she straightened; the way her hair swayed made me think of Yukine. "Thank you for showing it to me."

"You're welcome," I replied, feeling a little heavy-hearted. "So, what am I learning today?"

She smiled and proceeded to put me through another brutal routine.


	18. Do-Over

**Chapter Eighteen: Do-Over**

A week passed, and still no word on Yukine's whereabouts.

"Don't worry, kiddo; if she's out there, we'll find her," Michael would say during my visits to the Bishop. With the Miyazawas' permission I had taken to staying with the Knights on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until dinner; KITT would then take me home.

I nodded in resignation as I made my way over to the bookcase and started reading the titles…or, at least, trying to; they appeared to be in English, which made sense when I thought about it.

"What do ya think?" Michael asked as he came up behind me.

"I think I can't read them," I replied, dejected.

"They're all Bonnie's technical books. If it's any consolation, I can't read them, either," he offered with a sympathetic smile.

I returned my gaze to the books. "Kotomi-chan could probably read them."

"Who?"

"This girl I met at school. She spends all her time in the library, reading books on physics and stuff. I think she can read English really well, too."

"Sounds like a smart girl."

"No kidding," I grunted. "I feel bad for leaving her like that, but-"

"Hold on a minute, kid," he interrupted, holding up a hand. "Leaving her? Were you two dating or something?"

"It's not that," I replied, shaking my head. "I just…didn't go back. I thought I wouldn't be a good influence on her."

"I hear you," Michael said, then put a hand to his chin. "But consider this: how do you think it looked to her for you to leave and not come back?"

I froze; I'd never thought of that. "But…But either way, I'd be a bad influence if I hung around her."

He shook his head. "I don't think so. I know I've only known you for a while, but you strike me as basically a good kid. Maybe you've had a rough life and maybe it's made you a little jaded, but not enough for you to be called 'bad'." He looked past me. "KITT? What do you think?"

" _I'm inclined to agree, Michael. While Okazaki-san_ _is_ _a little rough around the edges, as they say, he seems to genuinely care about others."_

"How many boys your age would go this far for a girl?"

I assumed he was talking about Yukine. "Not many," I admitted.

"Well, there you go." Michael gave me a warm smile. "Next chance you get, go talk to this girl and apologize for bailing on her."

"Bailing…?"

" _Michael enjoys utilizing idioms more than most,"_ KITT commented. " _He simply means that you should apologize for leaving the way that you did."_

I mulled this over. It was shameful the way I had left her: a few cold words while ignoring hers. How did that make me look in her eyes? Was that the kind of person I wanted to be? "I see your point." I looked up at the older man. "I'll see what I can do."

"That's all anyone can ask," Michael said in a comforting tone.

* * *

I hesitantly slid the library door open and peeked inside. Sure enough, she sat right where I last saw her, and I wondered if she had even moved from that spot since that time. She had to have, of course, but…well, at least she was consistent.

I entered the library and quietly closed the door behind me. As expected, she didn't seem to notice my presence. She still wore the childish ornaments in her hair, still surrounded herself with books, and still wouldn't respond unless I called her: "Kotomi-chan?"

Her finger ceased its motion across the page, and she slowly looked up at me. When her eyes settled on my face, she broke into a smile. "Tomoya-kun! Welcome back!"

"Hi," I said, lifting a hand. "How have you been?"

Instead of answering, she placed her book aside and picked up her bento box. "Are you hungry?"

I was, and admitted as much. "But I'm not here to eat your lunch."

"Oh…" she said, her face falling.

"No, wait!" I exclaimed, waving my hands. "I just meant that that wasn't why I came here! I'll eat with you if you want, it's just…" I let my hands fall to my sides as I looked at the floor. "I'm sorry for the way I left last time."

"Tomoya-kun…" she said, drawing my attention back to her face. "…thank you for coming back."

"You're welcome," I replied with an awkward chuckle. "Will you forgive me?"

She didn't answer, but cleared a space in her pile of books and then handed me a set of chopsticks. I smiled as I accepted them along with what I assumed was an unspoken acceptance of my apology and settled down to look in the bento box. "Looks good," I said, looking across at her.

She ducked her head blushing shyly, and-

"So here you are," growled a voice from the direction of the doorway, and I turned to see Sunohara, steam coming out of his nose again. "Giving up on Miyazawa-san and going after the Library Girl, now?" he snorted. "Or are you starting a harem-GKK!"

Somehow, in the blink of an eye, I had moved to Sunohara and grabbed him by the collar. "I am not giving up on Yukine, you asshole! You take that back! NOW!"

"Tomoya-kun!" In spite of my rage I could hear Kotomi quite clearly. "Tomoya-kun, please let him go!"

I tried, but fury tightened my grip.

"Tomoya-kun!" I felt her gently take hold of my arm and somehow got me to relax my grip and release Sunohara. I let her lead me to the table and set me in one of the chairs. "Tomoya-kun, this is not like you."

"You're right," I muttered. "I don't know what got into me."

"You looked really pissed," Sunohara said in a strained voice as he fixed his collar and tie. "Sorry about that; I had it coming."

I shook my head. "No, you didn't…not that, at least. I'm sorry."

He jerked a thumb back at the library door. "I'll…just go…have lunch, now."

Sunohara's retreating back was replaced by Kotomi's concerned face filling my view. "Tomoya-kun…are you all right?"

I nodded with more than a little resignation. "Yeah, I think so. I'm sorry for acting like that."

She shook her head. "Mmnn-mmnn. I will not hold it against you. In fact…" I watched as she swallowed hard before reaching over for the bento. "A-Are you hungry?"

"Yeah." I chuckled softly. "Let's eat."


	19. Having Friends Over

**Chapter Nineteen: Having Friends Over**

I pushed what I hoped was the correct button on my watch. "Michael? Are you there?"

A few seconds later I heard: " _Yeah, kiddo; I'm here. What's up?"_

I felt really stupid asking like this, but: "Can I bring a friend to visit the Bishop?"

A sigh. _"Okazaki, this isn't why we gave you the watch."_ Another sigh. _"Aw, whatever. Who is it?"_

"Kotomi…the girl I talked about the other day."

" _Oh, the really smart one?"_

I smiled. "Yes sir, that's the one."

Yet another sigh, longer this time. _"Let me talk to Bonnie and get back to you, okay? We normally don't let civvies on the Bishop; we're making an exception in your case because of how close you are to the girl's family."_

"I'm sorry," I said, bowing before I realized he couldn't see me. Or could he? "If it's a problem, then just forget about it."

" _Naw, it's fine, kiddo. Like I said; I'll talk with my better half and get back to you. Just sit tight, okay?"_

"Okay."

I could hear the smile in his voice. _"Catch ya later."_

* * *

The Knights met Kotomi and I after school the next day. _"Glad to know you two made up. If she's as smart as you say she is, she and Bonnie'll have a lot to talk about,"_ Michael had said when he let me know that her visit had been approved.

I looked to Kotomi, who was rapidly looking from Michael and Bonnie to me and back. "Go ahead and tell them your name. Don't worry, they won't bite."

She pointed to herself. "Kotomi. You spell-"

"Just…your name is fine," I interrupted, trying to save our dignity; I also suffered another bout of déjà vu. "They don't need the whole introduction."

She blinked at me in surprise before nodding and looking back to the couple. "My name is Ichinose Kotomi."

" _Ichinose?"_ KITT sounded unusually excited.

"What's up, KITT?"

" _Michael, I believe this girl is the daughter of Koutarou and Mizue Ichinose, world-renowned scientists in the field of string theory."_

"You knew my parents?" Kotomi asked, astonished. Then she hid behind me, trembling. "Tomoya-kun; the car is talking."

" _One would think with all of the anime they have over here, one wouldn't be surprised to hear a talking car,"_ KITT quipped.

Kotomi's trembling got worse, and she took hold of the back of my blazer, nearly shaking me. "Is it a bully? Tomoya-kun? Is the car a bully?"

"KITT's not a bully," Bonnie replied in a soothing tone as she walked toward us. "He just has a, uh…his own sense of humor." She reached out a hand toward us. "Come on out, sweetheart; it's okay."

Kotomi glanced up at me, so I gave her a nod and a smile, and she hesitantly reached out and took Bonnie's hand. "It is not a bully?"

"He isn't," Bonnie chuckled, putting an arm around the girl's shoulders as I stepped back. "See? KITT, say 'hi'; and be nice this time."

" _Hello, Ichinose-san. My most sincere apologies if I upset you; it was not my intent to cause you distress."_

Kotomi looked back at me, so I gestured at the black sports car. She turned back to KITT. "It is okay. I…I am okay." She bowed slightly. "It is nice to meet you, KITT."

"Let's finish up the introductions, eh?" Michael said, rubbing his hands together before extending one toward Kotomi. "Name's Michael Knight; call me Michael….please."

She awkwardly shook his hand. "I-It is nice to meet you…Michael."

"And the lovely lady next to you is my wife, Bonnie."

I couldn't see Kotomi's expression as she looked up at the older woman, but I could see Bonnie smiling down at her. "It is nice to meet you, Bonnie," I heard Kotomi say quietly.

Awkward introductions complete, Kotomi and I got into KITT's back seat, while the Knights sat up front. The original arrangement was supposed to be Michael and I in the front with the girls in the back, but Kotomi wouldn't let go of me; apparently I was her security blanket.

As we drove, the Knights made small talk while Kotomi decided to snuggle up to me. This made me more than a little uncomfortable since I had only met her very recently and had only known her for a short time, not to mention my relationship with Yukine. "K-Kotomi?"

"I am sorry," she said while rubbing her cheek against my shoulder. "It is just that it has been so long."

"So long? It's only been, what, a couple of weeks?"

I felt her pause for a moment before going back to massaging my shoulder with her face.

"Give it up, kiddo," Michael quipped. "It doesn't look like you're going to pry her off that easily."

I sighed in resignation and gave in. At least she wasn't really hurting anyone and, frankly, I missed female contact.

"I'm sorry about your parents," Bonnie said, somewhat out-of-the-blue. "I never met them, but I have read some of their works. Brilliant."

This piqued my curiosity, and I turned to look down at Kotomi. "What happened to your parents?"

She stopped rubbing to look up at me in disbelief. "You do not remember…?" She shook her head. "No, you left before then."

"Of course I don't remember," I retorted. "We only met about two weeks ago, right?"

" _Okazaki-san,"_ KITT interjected, _"the Ichinoses perished in a commercial airliner crash over ten years ago."_

I felt a tug of memory, but… "I'm sorry, Kotomi-chan; I didn't know."

She shook her head. "Mmnn-mmnn. It is okay, Tomoya-kun. As I said, it has been a long time."

"Isn't she just adorable?" Bonnie squealed, looking back at us. "Kotomi, can I hug you again?"

"Easy there, beautiful," Michael said. "Let's not scare her again."

" _For what it's worth Ichinose-san, I am sorry for your loss."_ KITT offered.

"I…am okay," she replied; it sounded like she still wasn't comfortable talking to a car. "I miss Mommy and Daddy, but I am doing much better now," she finished while giving me a gentle squeeze.

"Hoo boy," I heard Michael say under his breath. "This'll be interesting."

I cringed the rest of the way to the Bishop.


	20. Tutoring

**Chapter Twenty: Tutoring**

"Amazing…" Kotomi gasped at the number of books before her. "So many books that I have never seen before! May I…?" she asked, looking over at the Knights.

Michael looked over at Bonnie. "She checks out just fine…it's your call, babe," he said.

Bonnie shifted her gaze from her husband to my schoolmate. "Well…" she said, then squealed. "Oooooo, you're so adorable! Yes, yes, go ahead! I wrote most of them myself, but I can't say 'no' to that face!"

Kotomi whirled on me, her eyes sparkling. "Isn't this wonderful, Tomoya-kun? We can read together again!"

"I'm sorry, but…this really isn't my kind of reading," I said. "And what do you mean, 'again'? The last time I was there I just watched you read."

She averted her gaze and folded her hands in front of her chest as she blushed. "I remember that; it was wonderful."

What a weird girl. "I…guess I could watch you this time too, if you wanted."

"Not happening; not yet, at least," Michael said, tapping my schoolbag on the table. "Get this done, then we can talk about fun stuff."

I groaned. "Seriously? I can do this at home!" I saw KITT out of the corner of my eye and got an idea. "If KITT's willing, could he-"

"You're not using Knight Industry's best technology to do your homework for you," Michael said matter-of-factly.

"No sir, that's not what I was going to ask," I protested. "I was hoping KITT could teach me. He'd be the best tutor ever!"

" _I, for one, would enjoy the challenge,"_ KITT said.

Michael studied me for several seconds. "All right, since KITT seems to be willing." He looked over at his wife. "Wilton Knight's dream, now a high-school tutor."

Bonnie gave him an affectionate pat on the arm. "Think of it as investing in the future."

He gave me a lopsided smile. "Have fun, you two."

"I want to help."

I suddenly found Kotomi in my path as I turned toward KITT. "Huh?"

She stepped closer, almost in my personal space, and gazed into my eyes. "I want to help you, Tomoya-kun."

"Thank you, Kotomi-chan, but I'm sure KITT can-"

"I want to help you," she repeated in a trembling voice, stepping so close that I actually had to take a step back. She sounded like she was about to cry.

"Okay, okay," I conceded. "I guess it can't hurt."

" _Two heads are better than one, as they say,"_ KITT added, opening his doors. _"Get in, you two…and behave yourselves."_

* * *

"Oh man, I'm glad that's done!" I exclaimed as I flopped back in my seat and closed my eyes. Under KITT's tutelage, I finally understood not just how parabolas work, but why they worked. "Thanks a lot, KITT; I feel like I could ace my next test!"

" _Be sure that you do, young man,"_ he said in an admonishing tone. _"Your performance is a direct reflection of my abilities as an instructor."_

"Understood, sir," I said, giving him a salute; I hadn't felt this good about my academics in what seemed like forever. "I won't let you down."

"Did…Did I help, Tomoya-kun?" came a timid voice along with a gentle touch to my hand, and I looked over to see Kotomi with a worried expression.

" _Your assistance was immensely beneficial, Ichinose-san. Your input helped me to customize the lesson to best teach Okazaki-san."_

Kotomi didn't respond to the AI, but simply gazed at me.

I felt a blush creep over my face. "Well, like KITT said: you were a great teacher's assistant. Thank you."

Her face resolved itself into a relieved smile. "I am so happy, Tomoya-kun!"

"Okay!" I clapped my hands and leaned forward in my seat again. "How about history? Could we do that next? I'm fired up!"

" _A history lesson would be acceptable, but first I would like you to take a few minutes to relax. May I recommend a short walk to help with your circulation?"_

I groaned; he had a point, even if I didn't like it. "All right, KITT; I guess some fresh air would do me some good." I got out of the car and had to stretch; we had been working on my math for a little over an hour, and I was feeling cramped. I looked back at my tutor. "About how long? Would fifteen minutes be enough?"

" _Thirty minutes would be ideal, but fifteen will suffice."_

"See you later then," I said, giving him another salute before making my way down the ramp to the outside.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I nearly jumped when I felt something wrap itself around my arm. "AAUGH!"

Kotomi had taken hold of my arm, and she looked up at me with twinkling eyes. "I-Is this okay? I want to walk with you."

"I-I guess so." I wasn't sure what to think; other than the times Yukine had laid her head in my lap I'd never had a girl approach me like this. "I guess it's okay."

She sighed with a happy smile and closed her eyes as she leaned into me.

"K-Kotomi-chan? I can't keep my balance with you leaning on me like this."

"Huh?" her eyes flickered open. "Oh! I am sorry; you are out here for a walk!" she took her weight off me but still held my arm. "Let us go, then."

Wanting to take my mind off of school-oriented stuff I asked her, "Listen, Kotomi-chan… what's going on? You've been talking like we've known each other forever, but we only met about two, three weeks ago, right?"

"That is…partly true," she replied ambiguously. She slowed, turning me toward her as she released my arm before looking down between us and nodding, seemingly to herself, before looking back up at me. "I could never forget those eyes," she said as she rested her hand on my cheek.

"H-Huh…?" What had gotten into her?

"You came to Mommy and Daddy's backyard by accident. I was practicing my violin when you appeared rather suddenly…"

My eyes widened as my heart started to throb along with my head.

"…we introduced ourselves to each other. And from that day forward we played together every day. Tag, house…we would read together…"

My hand found my forehead and I gasped as a flood of memories crashed over me. "Oh my god…you had white chairs and a table in your backyard…"

"Yes…" Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"…and a huge sliding glass door, and a white picket fence…" My heart sank. "I promised to bring a bunch of friends for your birthday, but…I failed." I looked over to see her still smiling in spite of her tears. "I was too ashamed to show up, so… I didn't. And then your parents died, and…oh my god…" How could I have forgotten her parents like that?

"You remember me…" she said in a trembling voice.

I blinked, and felt a warm wetness spill over my cheeks. "Yeah…yeah, I do." I looked over at her again and chuckled awkwardly. "I'm so sorry. I was embarrassed, so I stayed away so long that…yeah."

Her lower lip trembled as she placed her hands on my cheeks. "I forgive you, Tomoya-kun. Can we be friends again?"

I gently placed my hands over hers. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that. Now that I remember you, I miss you. Funny, huh?"

She shook her head. "Mmmm-mmnn. I think it is wonderful. I have missed you terribly all this time."

As we headed back into the Bishop for more tutoring, I realized that I had already learned an important history lesson.


	21. Discovery

**Chapter Twenty-One: Discovery**

I limped slightly as I rubbed at a stiff shoulder muscle. Tomoyo's workouts were getting easier, but they still pushed me to my limit. I had definitely gotten stronger and better at fighting, but I still felt like I had a long way to go. Yukine had been missing for almost three weeks, and it was the workouts, along with KITT's tutoring sessions, that helped keep me sane. I smiled to myself; even though I felt like I had been put through the wringer, I still felt like I was stronger and smarter than I used to be.

I wasn't too surprised to see the familiar black car parked outside the Miyazawas' house; even though he could easily call them or even contact them through my watch, I got the impression that Michael preferred the personal touch by talking with them face-to-face.

"Hey, KITT."

" _Good evening, Okazaki-san. While I would enjoy a conversation with you, Michael is actually waiting for you inside. He would have contacted you, but he didn't want to disrupt your day."_

"Thanks," I said. "Okay, talk to you later, then."

I made my way to the front door and knocked. Seconds later, Michael himself opened the door; he had an unusually serious expression. "There you are, kiddo. Come on; we need to talk."

My chest started thumping. "Is she okay?" I asked as I entered the home.

"Her parents are in the dining room. I'll tell you what's going on when we get there."

I managed to keep my mouth shut as I followed him down the hall to the dining room. As we entered, I saw Rentarou and Haruka at their usual places. He had a light sheen of sweat, while she dabbed at her eyes every so often.

"What's going on?" I asked as I sat at my seat.

"Okay, here's the deal…" Michael started. "We think we know where your daughter's being held."

I shot to my feet. "You found Yukine?!" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rentarou stand as well.

"We think we know," he repeated in a softer tone. "I'm telling you this because KITT and I are going there on a recon mission."

"What do you mean?" asked Yukine's mom as her husband and I settled back into our seats.

"We're going to go there, gather what information we can, and then come back and plan."

"Plan?" Rentarou barked. "If she's there, why not rescue her right then and there?!"

"If they think they're being watched, they might move her," I realized.

"And we're back to square one if that happens," Michael finished.

"Okay," Yukine's dad said, apparently placated. "I don't like it, but I can't argue with it."

"Michael, sir?" I stood again, less panicked than the first time. "If it's okay…I want to go with you."

The older man eyed me skeptically.

"I've been training and learning and I'm willing to do whatever you tell me," I said quickly. "If you tell me to stay in KITT while you investigate, then I'll do that. I can't just sit here and do nothing." I bowed so deeply that I nearly hit my head on the table. "Please let me come with you!"

"Well…what do you folks think?" I heard Michael ask as I straightened. "You're responsible for him right now, right?"

"We are," Haruka said, "but Tomoya-san is still his own man, so…" She looked over to her husband, who exchanged smiles with her.

"If we expect Tomoya-san to be a man, then we need to support his efforts to become one," Rentarou concluded.

"Sounds like you have Mom and Dad's blessings," Michael said, then lifted his wrist. "KITT, any thoughts?"

" _Ordinarily, I would say that this is ill-advised. However, given Okazaki-san's strong desire to right his perceived wrong, along with a willingness to follow instructions-"_

"Short answer please, KITT."

" _I think he_ _should_ _, actually, but on the condition that he follows our instructions."_

"Well, you heard him," Michael said lowering his arm. "You willing to do that?"

"If I can help save Yukine…." I looked him in the eye. "…I'll do anything."

"Hopefully we won't have to call you on that," he said with a wink. "Okay, so here's the plan: We're scouting out the place tomorrow night; we'll be harder to see, and KITT can scan the place. What I need you to do," he said, pointing at me, "is get a good night's sleep and keep it cool tomorrow; no workouts or fight training or anything like that. Go to school like normal, and then get home and rest. Got it?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

* * *

"Okazaki? You're spacing out again." Sunohara's voice jarred me from my thoughts.

"Huh?" I looked around at my classmates, who were all staring at me. "Oh…sorry."

"The teacher asked you a question, Brain Boy," one of my classmates said.

I looked at the teacher, who had his arms crossed and would have looked annoyed were it not for the small smile. "I'm sorry sir; I spaced out for a moment."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I know you have a lot on your mind, but I really need you here right now."

"Yes, sir," I said. "What was the question?"

"I was asking for the answer to Problem 15 on page 233."

"Right," I said, flipping through the pages as my classmates chuckled; they sounded more sympathetic than usual. "233…problem 15…" I realized that KITT had helped me with that concept. "Root-5 over root-2."

"Very good. It appears that someone in this class actually did the homework," the teacher said as the other students wither groaned or gave me dirty looks, or both. I felt a non-hostile gaze on me and scanned the room to find Fujibayashi staring at me, and I quickly looked down at my desk as I remembered what Tomoyo had said about the class rep.

In spite of my anxiety over what would be happening later that day, I forced myself to pay attention for the rest of the morning. Unfortunately, because of everything I'd learned under KITT"s tutelage I ended up answering most of the questions, annoying my classmates to no end.

At the end of classes I quickly gathered my stuff, apologized to Sunohara and Fujibayashi when they tried to talk to me, and ran home as fast as I could.

I had a mission to prepare for.


	22. Reconnaissance

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Reconnaissance**

I tried not to bite my nails as we traveled north along the highway at a rather high speed. I had never noticed it before, but KITT's engine didn't rumble like regular cars' did; instead he sounded more like a commercial airliner, only not as loud.

I had dressed in what Bonnie had given me; Black shirt and pants, both somewhat form-fitting. "KITT can darken his windows, but this is just in case you have to get out," she had explained.

Nothing much was said for most of our journey. I didn't know what Michael and KITT were thinking about, but I was definitely thinking about Yukine. If she was there, was she okay? Was she hurt? Were they feeding her?

" _Okazaki-san, you're clearly quite agitated. I don't know what you're thinking about, but it's obviously upsetting you. Perhaps a distraction?"_

"Thinking about your girl?" Michael asked.

"Yeah."

"KITT's right, you know; you need to think about something happier. You won't be any use if you're all wound up. How did you two meet?"

I thought back and couldn't help but smile. "I went into the Reference Room at school to ditch class and met her there for the first time."

"A library girl," Michael observed.

"Sort of," I said. "Kotomi's more like that, but I get what you're saying. Anyway, we talked, and I found out she was really friendly and all about other people."

"' _All about other people'…are you saying that she's a supportive person?"_

"Yeah. She'd have some of the weirdest people visiting her at school, usually hurt…I mean, physically." I laughed. "One time this guy fell through the window from outside…and, from the way he was talking right before he passed out, Sunohara and I thought he'd died!"

" _That must have been upsetting."_

"It was, until Yukine told us that he had fallen unconscious." I chuckled again at the memory. "Anyway, we hung out with her and drank her coffee and stuff until, one day, she took us to her brother's grave, and…" I felt my face flare up. "…well…I kissed her."

"Way to break the ice, kiddo," Michael chuckled.

"Yeah, I know; not my best idea. It was supposed to be a 'spell' anyway. She was into this spell book. The rituals were ridiculous, but they always worked somehow." I stretched in my seat. "About a week after that I apologized to her for kissing her, and we started over; we started going on picnics and hanging out together…in fact, we were heading out for our third picnic when…" my face fell.

I felt a pressure on my shoulder and looked over to see that Michael had gripped it with his hand. His eyes were still on the road of course, but… "We'll get her back, Tomoya…that I promise. And whoever's responsible will go to prison for it."

I nodded with a small smile. "I know."

* * *

We parked a good distance from the gates of an old warehouse. Signs out front indicated that it was to be demolished the following week.

"Interesting, though; a few days before Yukine's disappearance, someone turned the lights back on," Michael said as we studied the humongous building.

" _Not only that, Michael, but I've detected an impressive amount of surveillance equipment, both for the interior and the exterior of the structure."_

"Well well well…" Michael mused as he punched as few buttons on the dashboard and between us on the ceiling. "Looks like they don't want any surprise guests. How many guards we talkin'?"

" _Assuming all of the guards are armed, I count fifteen guards. There are also several smaller signatures, ranging in size from small children to young adults."_

"Can you see through their cameras?" I asked.

"Yeah, KITT; Let's see what they're trying to hide from us."

The monitor lit up, and series of images started flashing. _"I cannot control their systems without potentially alerting them to our presence. I can intercept their signals, but anything more risks detection."_

"That's perfectly fine, buddy; just make sure you're recording this."

" _Of course, Michael."_

We watched as the intercepted signal showed us room after room after room. Most of them were empty, but a few of them…

" _It appears that they have the Takahashi children as well, Michael."_

As we saw more images and KITT identified them, my blood started to boil. How dare these people take other peoples' loved ones from them?! And for nothing more than a stupid business deal!

Apparently I was so blinded by my anger that I missed several images. "Hey KITT; I think we lost Okazaki for a minute there. Can you play back the feed, go back a few images?"

" _Certainly._ " I shook my head to clear it as KITT 'rewound' the feed to a particular image. When I saw it, time stopped.

Yukine sat by herself in an otherwise empty room; no table, no chairs, not even a mat to sleep on. She sat in a corner hugging herself, her legs folded under her.

"Yu…Yukine…?" My voice sounded so weak, even to my own ears.

"At least she's alive," Michael said softly.

"We've got to get her out of there," I said. "We've got to get them all out of there. And then we need to find who did this and make sure he can't do it again."

I felt a pressure on my shoulder again, and I looked over into the determined eyes of Michael Knight. "We will, Tomoya…you can count on it."

* * *

It was agony leaving the warehouse where Yukine was being held hostage. Not just her, but also those other children, too. "Bastards…" I muttered.

I heard Michael chuckle. "You're really fired up about this, aren't you?"

"You're damned right!" I yelled, then sobered. "And I also feel kinda bad. I mean, I was all fired up because Yukine was kidnapped, but now that I know about these other kids…"

"It just got bigger, didn't it?"

I looked over at Michael, but his eyes were still on the road. "Something like that," I said. "I was so wrapped up in my own stuff. I figured I'd sleep my way through school, graduate, and get a physical labor-type job." I sighed. "Nice and small."

" _Then something enlarged your reality?"_

I chuckled…somehow. "Yeah, you could say that. First, it was Yukine and her weird friends; then, it was meeting all of you."

"Still want that 'nice and small' world?" Michael asked with a hint of humor in his voice.

I shook my head thoughtfully. "No…No, I've seen too much," I scoffed. "Anything like that would be boring, now." My mind drifted back to Yukine, alone in that horrible room… "AARGH! I need a distraction!"

" _Thinking about Miyazawa-chan, young man?"_

"Yes, and I don't want to think about her suffering anymore! I want to think about saving her!"

"Well then," Michael started, "perhaps it's time we talked about our plan!"

"Sounds good," I said, then it hit me: "Wait a minute…our plan?"


	23. Planning

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Planning**

We arranged for KITT to pick me up at nine on Sunday morning. Yukine's parents had been told and had given their approval.

"Good luck, son," Rentarou said, laying a hand on my shoulder.

"Please save Yuki-chan," Haruka wept.

"Your daughter will be home tonight," I promised before getting into KITT.

* * *

I was grateful that Michael wanted me on the mission, but…

"I don't get it," I said. "How come you're letting me come along?"

"We've been keeping an eye on you," Michael said. "Your grades have skyrocketed and your fighting skills are top-notch."

"Well, I have a good teach-hey, how do you know about my fighting?!"

Michael chuckled. "It's all KITT's fault."

" _It is_ _not_ _,"_ KITT protested. _"You and Bonnie ordered me to keep an eye on him. Don't try to shift all the responsibility to me."_

"Calm down buddy, I was just kidding. Truth is, we wanted you to come on this mission, but not if you weren't ready."

"Ready?"

He glanced over at me. "Yeah, mentally, emotionally, and physically ready. You showed me the first two last night. You're still a little hotheaded, but nothing a little experience can't cure."

"And I'm getting the experience tonight, I suppose," I said, letting my head fall back onto the plush seat. "What about the physical?"

" _While your shoulder is still severely injured, you've made considerable progress in your combat abilities while training with that young woman."_ KITT said as he displayed what appeared to be my most recent training session.

Michael gave a low whistle. "Nice job, kiddo. I've seen some of your earlier routines, but this one…" he wagged a finger at the screen. "I don't know if I'd want to go toe-to-toe with you now."

I chuckled self-consciously. "I'm sure you'd beat me easily."

"Maybe," he said. "KITT, what do we have on his trainer?"

Tomoyo's school photo replaced the video of my lesson. _"Sakagami Tomoyo. Age: 17. Height-"_

"Okay, that's enough, thanks." Michael looked over at me with a wink and an impish grin. "Shouldn't know a lady's weight, after all."

I couldn't help but return his smile. "Right."

" _Local legends indicate that she acted in a mercenary capacity, incapacitating those who caused harm to innocents."_

"Yeah, she said something like that to me after kicking Sunohara into the dust chute," I said, remembering the incident.

"Whew! If that's true, we could use someone like her," Michael said before looking over at me again. "Maybe you could talk to her about it after all this is cleaned up?"

"I could, but I don't think she'd want to." I replied. "She's trying to get away from violence and be more 'girly', as she called it. I think she wants to be more ladylike."

" _An admirable goal,"_ KITT interjected. _"There are many women out there but very few 'ladies'."_

"Yeah…" Michael said wistfully. "Not like it was in the 80s…"

* * *

"Here you go, Okazaki," Bonnie said as she handed me my black outfit. "The room's free."

As I changed in one of the back rooms I made sure to focus on my breathing. Michael, Bonnie and KITT needed me stable, so they had me work on my breathing to help me remain calm.

After changing, I met up with the Knights in the 'apartment'.

"Okay KITT, what have we got?" Michael asked.

Suddenly, a 3-D projection appeared over the table in front of us, and it took me a moment to realize that KITT was somehow projecting the image.

"From what we were able to gather, it looks like the guards are on a rotation: every ten minutes, they change position." Michael said as he traced an imaginary line between two red silhouettes.

"So you'd have to sneak in during that rotation," Bonnie observed.

"Exactly."

"Excuse me," I said, raising my hand. "What will KITT and I be doing?"

"KITT will be outside, monitoring the situation; you, on the other hand," Michael said, pointing at me, "will be coming in with me."

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely," he replied. "You gotta start somewhere, and I'm not going to be able to grab all of these kids myself. Plus, we may have to take out some of their security, and…" he gave me a wink. "…that's right up your alley, isn't it?"

I had to focus on my breathing again. Sure, I'd trained heavily with Tomoyo, but to be in a real fight…

I felt a gentle pressure on my shoulder, and looked up into Michael's kind face. "You'll be fine, Tomoya. Stick with me, do what I tell you, and we'll be in and out of there with the kiddos in no time."

I trusted Michael, of course, but I didn't trust myself. "What if-"

"We'll improvise," he said smoothly. "Right, KITT?"

" _If there's one good thing to be said about Michael; he is proficient at improvisation."_

"Thanks for the backhanded compliment," he grunted.

"It might seem like we're throwing you to the wolves," Bonnie said, "but remember; you wouldn't be going if we didn't think you could do it."

I nodded slowly. "I understand. Thank you."

"Besides," Michael added, giving me a light bop on the shoulder. "Your girl's in there waiting for you; she just doesn't know it yet."

I imagined busting through the door and seeing the look of relief on Yukine's face as I carried her out of there, and felt renewed vigor. "Got it," I said. "Just tell me what I need to do."

Michael gave me another bop on the shoulder. "That's the spirit, buddy."

* * *

I went over the plan in my mind for the umpteenth time as we headed down the highway to the warehouse. While KITT gave the security cameras false imagery, Michael would enter a side door during a changing of the guard; Ten minutes later, I would follow him at the next change.

Once inside, KITT would lead us to the rooms where the hostages were being held and help us with any locks we might come across. If necessary, KITT himself would more directly intervene.

We rolled to a stop at the same place we had the night prior, and Michael and I looked over at each other.

"You ready for this?" he asked.

I shook my head with a wry smile. "No…let's do this."

We shared a chuckle before putting on black masks.

" _Okazaki-san; please believe that I will support you to the best of my ability."_

"Thanks, KITT," I said. "I feel better knowing you have my back."

"Our back," Michael said, holding out his fist. Even though he couldn't see it, I gave a smile before reaching out and bumping his fist.


	24. Liberation

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Liberation**

I watched as Michael hurried across the warehouse grounds, stopping next to a small shipping container next to the door we planned to enter. I saw him talk to KITT through his watch, and then he started scanning the area.

Ten minutes later, I made my move; staying as low as I could, I traced his steps as I hurried across the warehouse grounds, stopping next to Michael behind the container. He gave me a thumbs-up, then addressed his watch, his voice barely above a whisper. "We're heading in, KITT."

" _I see you, Michael; I'm overriding the monitors now."_

Without acknowledging his partner, Michael reached into a pocket and pulled out what looked like a lock pick. I'd seen them used in TV shows, but never up close. He inserted it into the bolt lock in the door and wiggled it around until the lock clicked. He did the same with the lock on the knob after testing it and finding it locked. After glancing around one more time, he counted down from three to one using his fingers. On 'one' he opened the door and we entered quickly. It seemed like it took forever, but in reality the whole thing took less than a minute.

We found ourselves in a long, partially-lit hallway; many of the lights were out, likely to conserve power for the surveillance systems that KITT was currently messing with. Michael removed his mask, and I gratefully followed suit; it had been somewhat hard to breathe.

"You check the rooms starting at this end, and I'll check starting from down there," he whispered, pointing to the opposite end of the hallway. I noticed that another hallway extended to the right about halfway down; I'd have to keep that in mind as I worked.

As Michael sneaked down the hallway I peeked through the window of the first room; empty, just as KITT had found. Good, we had our staging area for gathering the hostages. First, we'd gather them in the empty room. Then, after KITT snuck into the yard we'd load them into wherever we could squeeze them and KITT would sneak them all out of there; Michael and I would follow on foot and meet up with them afterward.

I moved to the next room and peeked; the Takahashi twins were in there. They weren't there when we had arrived so they must have been moved for some reason. I quietly opened the door and slowly entered the room. They still whimpered and held each other when I held out my hand; they couldn't have been any older than eight. "It's okay," I whispered to them. "I'm here to get you out."

The girl shivered in the corner, but the boy got to his feet and took my hand. Then he reached back for his sister. "Come on," I heard him whisper.

After resolving that situation, I carefully herded them into the staging room with instructions to remain quiet, then headed out and checked the room beyond theirs. That one was empty as well as the next, but in the room beyond that… "Oh my god…"

Yukine sat in the corner, almost exactly as I remembered seeing her in the video footage. It was as thought she hadn't moved an inch since then. I carefully opened the door and entered with my finger over my lips.

She looked up at me, and her eyes grew wide as her breath started to come in shudders. "It's you…" she breathed.

"I'll explain later," I whispered back as I helped her to her feet and exchanged a too-brief hug. "Follow me, and be quiet."

She nodded and kept hold of my hand as I carefully led her down the hallway back to the staging room. After reluctantly leaving her there to care for the twins, I headed down the hallway again to check for more hostages.

I found two more crying children in separate rooms and started to wonder if Michael was okay. I led them back to the staging room as well, then knelt down next to the doorway, out-of-sight opposite the hostages. "KITT?" I whispered into my watch. "I've taken care of five of the hostages. Is Michael okay?"

" _He is unharmed,"_ KITT replied. _"He has located the last two hostages, but is currently trying to gather more information on the kidnappers from one of their computers."_

"Should I go help?" I asked while waving off the Takahashi boy, who was admiring my watch.

" _I don't think that's necessary. Stay where you are for now and protect the hostages. Michael should be done soon."_

While we waited I took the opportunity to examine my charges. For the most part they looked fine; maybe a little malnourished and dirty, but otherwise okay. Understandably, the one I was most concerned about was Yukine. "Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling before her as she sat.

She drew her hair back over her ear, and I noticed how pale her skin was. "I'm hungry and tired, but I'm okay." She reached out and cupped my chin. "I've missed you so much, Tomoya-san."

I chuckled quietly as I rested a hand on her cheek. "I think we can drop the honorifics now."

Her shoulders shook with her silent giggle. "Yeah, I guess so."

My watched beeped. _"Okazaki-san, you need to get out of there_ _now_ _."_ KITT's voice sounded urgent.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I helped Yukine and the others to their feet.

" _Michael tripped an alarm in the computer system. He has the last of the hostages and is en route to your position. I'm on my way right now."_

"Okay, listen up," I said to the group. "We're going to go out this door and immediately turn left and head through the door in front of us; this will take us outside where we will meet up with a black car. You will get in that car and it will take you to safety." I gave myself a moment to think, then added, "Some of this might seem weird, but I need you to do what I tell you. Understood?"

Five heads nodded.

"Okay. I will lead; the rest of you hold hands and follow me."

"I'm not-" a boy started to protest before I shut him down with a glare. He took the hand of the girl ahead of him. Yukine took the lead before nodding to me.

I peeked out into the hallway to check for guards, then led the group into the hallway as Michael came charging down with a kid under each arm. "Get them out of here!" he yelled just as someone came out from the side hallway. Michael couldn't see him because he had passed the side hall opening, and I froze as the man leveled a pistol as us.

"NO!" Yukine cried, and she threw herself between the gunman and the children lined up after her just as a shot rang out.

Michael hurried the kids out the door as I grabbed Yukine before her head could hit the floor. Down the hall, I could see the man's gun had jammed, so I carefully lowered Yukine to the floor before running down the hall and introducing his head to my knee, knocking him out cold. Then I ran back to my girl.

"Yukine…" I opened her school coat to find the wound; normally it wouldn't be serious, but in her weakened state… "Yukine…" I could feel the tears spilling from my eyes, but I didn't care.

"Tomoya…" she said weakly. "I'm so sorry…"

I could hear Michael yelling at me, but I didn't care; my beloved was…

As her eyes closed for the last time, my world began to fade to white…

 _I wish…_


	25. Liberation - True Ending

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Liberation – True Ending**

"Okay, listen up," I said to the group. "You're going to wait here while I take care of a threat. A tall white man dressed in black will run past here; you are to follow him and do everything he says." I gave myself a moment to think, then added, "Some of this might seem weird, but I need you to do what I tell you. Understood?"

Five heads nodded.

"Okay. Yukine, you take the lead; the rest of you hold hands and follow her."

Yukine looked at me with a surprised expression, but nodded.

"I'm not-" a boy started to protest before I shut him down with a glare. He took the hand of the girl ahead of him.

I ran out into the hallway as Michael came charging down with a kid under each arm. "They're in the staging room!" I yelled just as someone came out from the side hallway. Michael couldn't see him because he had passed the side hall opening, but I knew right where he was.

I intercepted his hand as it reached for his gun, then took his arm with me as I spun around behind him. He cried out as I kicked him in the backs of his legs, dropping him to his knees as I released his arm. Finally, I smashed the heels of my hands into his temples, and he pitched forward to the floor, unconscious.

I trembled as I hurried down the hall to catch up with the others. "Go!" I yelled as Michael, still carrying the kids, kicked the door open. Outside, KITT spun to a halt and threw his doors open.

"Get in!" Michael yelled as he half-placed, half-tossed his load of kids in the back seat. I hurried Yukine around to the driver's seat and nearly shoved her in as I heard gunfire approaching.

"How many, KITT?!" Michael yelled.

" _That's all of them, Michael."_

"Go go GO!" I yelled, pounding KITT's trunk. As he sped off toward the main gate to provide a distraction as well as escape, Michael and I sprinted toward another section of fence that we had cut earlier in preparation.

"You first," he ordered.

I obliged, crawling and sliding under the snipped section of fence, then turned and grabbed him by the shoulders to help him as he made his way through.

We ran into a wooded area a short distance from the fence and hid in the shadows. Both of us were panting pretty heavily from the exertion, but we knew that we, as well as the hostages, were out of harm's way.

"Nice job, kid," Michael gasped as he held out his fist. All I could do was nod as I reached out and gave it a bump.

* * *

We met up with KITT about a half-mile from the warehouse.

"Good job, buddy," Michael said, patting his partner's hood.

" _Thank you, Michael,"_ KITT replied. _"I'm a little concerned about the seating arrangements, however."_

"I'll go in the trunk," I offered.

Michael reached out and ruffled my hair. "You're a good man, Okazaki."

"I'll join him," Yukine said timidly. "If that's okay."

"You sure, young lady?" Michael asked. "It might be a bumpy ride."

"I've been through worse," she replied with a shudder. "And I've missed Tomoya so badly."

"All right, you two," he said with a wink. "But behave yourselves. KITT, if you would, please?"

KITT opened his trunk and Yukine and I climbed in and lay on our sides, facing each other. The cabin would still be crowded, but not as badly as it would have been otherwise. Fortunately, KITT's trunk wasn't as dark as I thought it would be, and I was able to study my girl's face. "How're you feeling?" I asked as the car started moving.

"A little out-of-it," she admitted with a giggle; man, I really missed that sound. "First I'm in a room with no people and no furniture, then a lot of excitement with running and fighting, then I'm in a talking car driving out the gate."

I smiled at her. "I guess that would be a little strange, huh?"

"It's okay…You came for me," she said as she reached out her hand, which I took.

"Yeah I did, but it took a lot of help from Michael and KITT…oh, and Bonnie, Michael's wife. I also got better at fighting, thanks to Tomoyo."

"It sounds like I owe many 'thank-yous'," she said with a soft smile.

"Take time to recover first," I told her. "The 'thank-yous' can wait until later."

She nodded as she hid a yawn behind her hand. "I know I can't put my head in your lap right now, but would you be willing to…pamper me?"

I reached out and caressed her cheek. "Whatever you need."

She bit her lip before rotating in place and backing up until she was pressed up against me; we were effectively 'spooning', and I wrapped my free arm around her and held her close. She smelled like she hadn't bathed in days, and she probably hadn't, but I didn't care; she was safe and back in my arms and dammit, I was going to pamper her. A smile came over my face as I heard her sigh contentedly.

It wasn't long before I heard her breathing even out, and I realized that she must have fallen asleep. "Sleep well, beautiful," I whispered before gently kissing the back of her head and allowing myself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

When we got back to the Bishop, the first order of business was baths for everyone.

"I'll take the girls and you take the boys," Bonnie said to her husband as we assembled in the sitting area.

"You have baths on this plane?" I asked, amazed.

Michael came up from behind me and clapped me on the back. "Just enough for this." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Why don't you keep KITT company until we're done?"

I smiled. "Okay, but I'm not getting in the trunk this time."

Michael chuckled as he led the protesting boys into the back room.

I made my way over and fell into a chair near KITT. "Hey."

" _Hello, Okazaki-san. It's been an eventful night, wouldn't you say?"_

"Yeah," I agreed. "I'm beat, though."

" _I can imagine,"_ he replied. _"I saw your confrontation with the gunman. Very impressive."_

"Thanks," I said quietly. "It was over before I realized it; it was like my body acted on its own."

" _A testament to good teaching and a willing student."_

I chuckled. "Just don't tell Tomoyo that; she only taught me to help me rescue Yukine."

We were silent for a bit before KITT spoke again. _"Okazaki-san; May I say something to you?"_

I waved my hand at him. "Go ahead…and call me 'Tomoya'."

" _Very well, Tomoya. You are to be commended for your bravery tonight. Most people would avoid situations such as this, but you overcame your fears and insecurities and faced the danger head-on. Many families will be in your debt for what you have done tonight."_

"Hey, thanks KITT; that means a lot to me to hear you say that."

" _And you have earned every word of it, young man."_

Aw crap; my heart had been touched, and I dabbed at my eyes with my sleeve before pinching the bridge of my nose. "Thanks. Sunohara would shit bricks if he knew about this-oops…sorry about the language."

" _Then it would probably be best if this Sunohara were not told about tonight. I can't imagine that phenomenon would be very comfortable."_

I barked a laugh. "Me neither."

"There he is, Miyazawa-san." I turned toward the doorway to see Bonnie with…my heart leaped to my throat as I rose to my feet. "Yu…Yukine?"

Not only had Yukine bathed, but she had also changed from her school uniform to a light brown dress with straps over a white long-sleeved shirt. Her skin was so clean that it nearly glowed, and whatever had been done to her hair made it look so soft that I had to fight the urge to hustle over and run my fingers through it.

"Y-You look…no, you are beautiful," I said, awestruck.

Blushing, she looked down to the floor.

"She'll look even better after we get some food in her," Michael said as he came from the back room. "You and I need to get cleaned up first before we can chow down."

I gave Michael a tired smile along with a salute. "Yes, sir."


	26. Recovery

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Recovery**

"Say 'aahhhh…'"

"Yukine, this is embarrassing," protested as she held out a morsel of meat on her chopsticks. "Besides, shouldn't I be feeding you? You're the one who should be recovering."

"This is part of my recovery," she countered. "We haven't been able to do this for weeks; in fact, we have to make up for the picnic that we missed."

"Give it up, Okazaki." I looked across the table at Michael's grinning face. "She strikes me as the kind who will do whatever she sets her mind to do."

"You're not wrong about that," I muttered. I cast a sheepish glance at the kids at the table, most of whom were staring at us with wide eyes, before turning back to Yukine. "Fine, but we're taking turns."

"That's fine," she replied with a light blush. ""Aaahhhh…'"

I accepted the morsel to the sounds of giggling kids and chuckling adults, and found that it didn't taste bad at all. "All right," I said, finishing my bite. "Now it's your turn."

I watched, amused, as she looked around the table, then suddenly covered her face with her hands. "I can't! It's too embarrassing!"

"Oh, but it was fine when I was embarrassed," I countered. "Can dish it out but can't take it?"

"Take it easy, kid," Michael admonished, drawing my attention. "She's been through a lot, and she's a girl; they bruise a little easier than we do."

I looked back to Yukine, who was still trying to hide in plain sight. "All right, Yukine, but I won't lie; I've been looking forward to feeding you again."

She peeked out from between her fingers. "Really?"

"Yeah, when…" my mind went back to when I found out she had been taken. "When you…"

"Tomoya?" she said dropping her hands. "Are you okay? You don't look well."

"Yeah, you're looking a little green, there," Michael added. "Do we need to call a doctor?"

"No! No," I replied, waving them off. "I was just remembering when I found out that Yukine had been kidnapped." That feeling in my gut…

I felt a soft hand on my cheek, and I snapped out of my reverie to see Yukine gazing lovingly into my face. "Tomoya? W-Would you feed me?" she asked, her face nearly scarlet.

I smiled softly as I covered her hand with mine. "I'd love to."

It took me several seconds to realize how quiet the room had become, and we looked to see the others, including the kids, watching us with smiles or wonder. "Um…yeah…" I said, grabbing my chopsticks. "Here…say 'aaahhhh.'"

"Aaa-aaaahhh…" She opened her mouth but kept glancing over at our audience.

"They're so cute together," I heard Bonnie say. "Now I wish I hadn't blown you off for so long."

"Live and learn," Michael said. "I wasn't exactly fair to you, anyway."

That statement struck me as odd, so I filed it away for later.

"Come on kids, let's eat!" he said, and the rest of the group started their meal.

"Michael? When are we going to let their parents know they're safe?" I asked.

"Already taken care of," he replied. "KITT?"

" _All of their parents have been notified, Tomoya. I contacted them while we were en route to inform them that we will be delivering them tomorrow."_

"Delivering…" I chuckled. "Wait, tomorrow?"

"Yeah. They've had a pretty exciting day, so they'll sleep here tonight and then we'll drop 'em off tomorrow," Michael said.

"Do…" I was a little uncomfortable asking, but… "Do you have a mat I could sleep on? I just got Yukine back, and…"

Bonnie gave me an understanding smile and wagged her chopsticks at me. "If you can behave yourself, and Miyazawa-san's okay with it, you can stay in her room; she'll need a guard tonight, right?"

I looked over to at my girlfriend. "No, that's okay, I can stay out here if you…Yukine?"

Her face was completely red, and her eyes were wide – I could've sworn I saw stars in them. "Is…is that okay? Really?"

"Maybe not," Michael quipped. "She seems a little too eager, there."

"I'm sorry, it's just that…" She glanced around nervously before covering her face again, and I realized that the younger ones had stopped eating and were watching us again. "…I haven't seen Tomoya in so long, so…I'm sorry."

Bonnie looked like she was trying to hide a smile behind her hand. "Okay Miyazawa-san, if you can behave yourself, and Okazaki-san's okay with it, he can stay in your room tonight."

Yukine, still scarlet, said nothing but nodded once, hands and all.

"Come on…eat, eat!" I waved my hands at the kids, apparently activating them as they started moving their chopsticks again. "Look, you've got rice stuck to your face," I said picking a grain off of the Takahashi girl – Kazumi, I think her name was – and holding it out for her. "Here."

She eyed me warily, but reached out and nibbled the rice off of my finger. "Thank you," she said with pinked cheeks.

"You're welcome, cutie," I said as I retrieved my own chopsticks. I felt a tingling sensation on the side of my face, and I looked over to see the Knights smiling at me. "What is it? Do I have something on my face now?"

"Nah," Michael said.

"You looked like a father for a moment, there," Bonnie added.

"A father?! No way!" I objected. "I'm not even out of high school yet!" I looked over to Yukine for support, only to find her making faces at the youngest child to get him to eat. I buried my face in my hands. "I give up."

The older couple laughed, but left me alone after that.

* * *

I sat up as from my cot as I heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

I figured that it would be Yukine, but I was surprised when she came in wearing a different outfit than what she'd had on earlier. What she was wearing was clearly a nightgown, white with 'Hello Kitty' faces all over it. "H-Hi," she said somewhat awkwardly.

"Hi," I said, then gestured to her nightgown. "You look cute in that. Where'd you get it?"

She blushed and looked down at the floor. "I think Bonnie-sama likes dressing me up."

"Oh; did she give you that dress, too?"

A small nod.

I chuckled lightly, then studied her. "You okay? I mean after being…you know…"

She looked up at me with a smile and moist eyes. "T-Tomoya? Would you *hic* be willing *sniff* to pamper me?"

"Y-Yukine…" I quickly took her in my arms and held her as she cried, huge sobs that shook her whole body. Mine too, nearly. I did everything I could think of: caressing her hair, rubbing her back, kissing the top of her head. Finally, I backed up to my cot and sat down, drawing her into my lap. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and leaned against my chest as she continued to sob; I was starting to feel sympathetic pinpricks in my eyes.

She eventually started to settle down, still hiccupping and heaving deep breaths as I held her.

"You must have been holding that in for a while," I said.

She sat up, rubbing at her eyes. "Yeah; I was so scared. I missed mom and dad…and you." She looked up at me and took a deep, if shuddering, breath. "Thank…thank you for rescuing me, Tomoya. I love you."

My eyes widened as I realized that neither of us had confessed to the other yet. "I love you, too," I said, giving her a squeeze that caused her to giggle. "I'm really glad that you're safe."

"Thank you," she said, then laid a hand on my cheek. "I already know you love me; you came for me."

"Came for you – oh...right." I suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"You were so brave and…and…" she suddenly darted her head upward, pressing her lips to mine, and I could hear her breathing hard through her nose. My eyes fell closed, and I simply enjoyed the sensation of her lips as well as the slightly salty taste of her tears.


	27. Knight Into Day

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Knight into Day**

"This might sound like a weird question, but…do you remember dying?" I asked as we snuggled, with her still in my lap.

"I do," she said. "That man shot me, you caught me, then I saw you crying as everything faded to white. After that, I was back in the room with the kids, just before you left the room."

"Weird," I said. "I saw a bright light, too, just before I ended up back in the room with you and the kids. It's almost like time was rewound or something, but I still remembered what happened before…or after, I guess." I finished with a chuckle. Wait…white light...? "Hey…just before everything faded, I wished that I could have saved you from being killed by that guy. Then I got the chance to do just that."

"And I wished for the same thing." She blinked as she looked up at me. "A wish along with white light…" she gasped. "Could it be…?"

"That light orb?" I gasped as things started to fall into place. At her brother's graveside an orb of light had descended and been absorbed into my hand somehow.

She nodded with her eyes filled with wonder. "It must have sent us back because of our wish."

I mulled this over for a minute. "That's…really powerful." I licked my lips. "I mean if just one of those things could send us back…imagine what a lot of them could do."

Suddenly my head started to throb as I saw…

…Furukawa at the bottom of the hill to school, her back toward me…

…Kotomi and I in a big room filled with computers…

…Kyou and I eating together at a park…

"GAH!" I grabbed at my head, trying to stop the visions. "Make it stop!"

"Tomoya?!" I heard Yukine's voice; then I felt her holding my head to her chest.

As quickly as it had come, the pain went away. "I think...I'm fine, now…" She released my head as I pulled away. "Thanks."

"Is everyone okay?" Yukine and I looked to the doorway to see the Knights there, both with worried looks.

"Y-Yeah, we're fine," I said lifting a hand. "Just had a weird dream or something."

"All right, then," Bonnie said as they left, shutting the door behind them. I was grateful that they decided not to tease me, considering Yukine was still in my lap.

"What happened?" Yukine asked after the door shut.

"I…saw stuff…" I said. "I'm not sure how to describe it…they were like memories, but nothing I've ever seen or done."

"Could the orb have something to do with it?" she asked.

"I dunno," I replied, experimentally tapping the side of my head. "Maybe." It did make sense; the orb had taken us back in time to see another possibility. Maybe that meant that other things were possible, too, like…dating Kyou? "Let's…get some sleep," I suggested, really wanting to get that last thought out of my head.

"Okay," she said before giving me a peck on the lips and hopping off my lap. "Will you tuck me in?"

My smile must have reflected the affection I felt toward my girl. "Sure."

* * *

I awoke the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. "'Morning, Yukine," I said…to an empty cot. "Yukine?"

I yawned and scratched myself as I entered the sitting area.

"Good morning, Tomoya," Yukine greeted from the kitchen area.

"There you are," I grunted; my energy levels weren't high enough yet for anything better. "Good morning. Making breakfast?"

"Yup!" said exclaimed, beaming. "Bonnie-sama told me it was okay, and she even showed me where everything's kept," she finished, pointing at a nearby set of cupboards and a refrigerator.

I nodded approvingly. "Cool. Can I help?"

"Sure!" she chirped. "Could you get out the eggs?"

"Sure," I replied, opening the fridge. I got out the eggs and put them on the counter near her. "How many do you need?"

"I don't need any," she said. "I need you to get out a pan and start scrambling them."

"All of them?"

"Of course! We're feeding ten people this morning."

"Right," I said, realizing where she was going with this. So I got out a pan and started scrambling eggs.

After a while, I heard Yukine giggle. "This reminds me of the time you helped me cook in the Reference Room, and Sunohara-san came in and had a fit."

"That idiot…" I said, shaking my head. "He's the master of overreaction."

"He's certainly funny," she replied. "Maybe that's why the two of you get along so well."

I chuckled in spite of myself. "I wish you'd stop saying that; I hate being compared to that guy."

"Heeeeyy, something smells good!" Michael's friendly voice echoed throughout the room. "Can I have a taste?"

"Now Michael-sama," Yukine said in a lightly scolding tone, "breakfast will be ready soon enough. Here…" she turned and quickly and expertly poured a cup of coffee. "You can work on this while you wait."

"Thanks, cutie," I heard Michael say. "Okazaki, I think you've got a real winner, here."

"That I do, sir," I said without turning around.

"T-Tomoya!" she squeaked while giving me a hug. "It's too early for me to start blushing!"

I couldn't help but laugh, and I turned and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before returning my attention to the eggs.

Once everything was ready, Yukine and I put it all on the table in front of eight hungry mouths.

"So," I said to Michael as we ate, "what's the plan for getting everyone back home?"

"Well…first, KITT and I are going to take the youngest ones home. They've already been away from their parents for way too long, and most of them don't live too far away from here. Then, we'll come back and pick up the rest of you to take you all home."

"Oh, man!" I lamented. "It's a school day, isn't it?"

"Wow, that's right!" Yukine exclaimed. "I've missed so much school."

"We've already contacted your school to let them know that you won't be in today," Bonnie said, then winked at me. "You were on a field trip over the weekend."

I smiled; it wasn't too far from the truth, even if the details had been left out. "Thanks. I'd at least like one day to recover."

"I'm actually looking forward to getting back," Yukine said. "I'd…like to put all this behind me as soon as possible."

Breakfast was finished, and Michael and KITT left to take the four youngest kids home. As they got into the car, I realized that they hadn't cried once during their stay. Maybe they were just relieved to be out of their prison, maybe they were too busy to be scared, or maybe…Michael and Bonnie were the kind of people that were just trustworthy.


	28. Getting Reoriented

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Getting Reoriented**

I entered the Reference Room to have lunch with Yukine, only to find her with her nose buried in schoolbooks. "Playing catch-up?" I asked, taking a seat in my usual place across from her.

"Yeah," she said without looking up. "I may have been absent without my consent, but I still need to learn."

"The way of the honor student," I quipped.

She smiled, but still didn't look up. "No, just being a student."

I got back up and headed over to the coffee maker. "Is this clean? I can make some coffee for us."

"I cleaned it when I first got here," she said absently.

I realized that I was being rude by interrupting her so much, so… "I just want to say one more thing, and then I'll stop interrupting: If you need any help with your studies, let me know; I'd like to help if I can."

I felt a pressure around my waist, and looked down to see her arms wrapped around me. "Thank you, Tomoya."

I reached down and laid a hand on hers as the coffee brewed. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Tomoya-flavored," she muffled into my back.

I blinked with a start, turning toward her as she released me. "T-Tomoya-flavored? How do you do that?"

"Well…" she took the pot from me and poured a mug. Then she handed it to me. "First, you have Tomoya take a drink…"

I played along, taking a sip of the bitter liquid. "And then?"

"Then…" She took the mug from me and placed it on the counter. She then wrapped her arms around the back of my neck, carefully pulling my head down. As her lips touched mine, fireworks lit up behind my eyelids as they fell closed. By the time we broke the kiss, my hands had found their way to the back of her head and the small of her back.

Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed intensely into mine. "Tomoya-flavored coffee," she said, her voice husky.

"I don't think it would sell very well," I replied quietly as we touched foreheads.

She nodded solemnly. "It would be a niche market." And with that odd exchange, she pulled me to her for more kissing.

The lady sure knew what she wanted.

* * *

After school, I made my way to the field for practice with Tomoyo. Even though it was a Tuesday, she offered to train with me 'to make up for missing Monday'. Michael was on a mission of some kind, and Yukine was catching up on some tests, so it worked out fine.

After stretching and warming up we started sparring.

"I heard you had an exciting weekend," she said as she threw several punches, which I easily parried or dodged.

"You could say that," I said, as I stepped past her, ducking under a fist and jabbing her in the stomach.

"OOF!" she grunted, hopping back out of range. "Nice improv; where'd you learn that?"

"Saw it in a movie and wanted to try it out," I replied, getting back into my ready stance. I knew from training under her that Tomoyo could attack at any time, even while talking. She'd nailed me repeatedly early on with that ability, and still managed to surprise me every so often.

"Seriously? Was that your first time trying it out?" she asked as she lunged forward and tried to nail me with a spinning rear kick.

"Yeah," I grunted as I ducked under her leg and gave it an extra shove to speed up her rotation, causing her to have to take several steps to regain her balance.

I was on her before she could recover, aiming another right punch at her midsection. She brought up her left leg to block it and somehow trapped my wrist within her folded leg. Rather than try to pull my arm back out I jerked it to my left, throwing her off-balance again, this time sending her to the ground.

She was on her feet in an instant, starting to look annoyed. Normally that would have worried me, but I was too 'in the zone' to do anything other than make note of it.

She lunged at me, grabbing me by the collar, and I knew that she was trying to throw me so I quickly hooked my leg behind one of hers, and we both started to fall to the ground. I reflexively wrapped my arms around her and twisted so I landed on my back, with her on top of me.

We both lay there, breathing heavily, "You okay?" I asked. "Can we be done for a while?"

"Sure," she huffed, and I could feel her hot breath against my neck. "Damn, Okazaki, I think you're better than me."

"I doubt it," I puffed. "I was just lucky; I can't count the number of times I was wide open."

I didn't realize that my arms were still around her until they unwound from her body as she pushed herself up to look me in the eye. "I saw a few openings, yeah, but I couldn't use them; you were just too fast, too coordinated."

"Well, I have the best teacher," I said as I smiled up at her.

She looked away as her cheeks tinted. "Listen, Tomoya…"

"Tomoya!" I looked over toward the school to see my girl hurrying up to us. "I just finished turning in some make…up…" she trailed off with a look of dismay as she got closer.

"You okay, Yukine? Tomoyo and I were just…oh," It was my turn to trail off as I realized how my position looked, laying on the ground with Tomoyo on top of me.

Tomoyo and I quickly got to our feet. "It's not what it looked like, Miyazawa," she tried to explain. "I tried a takedown, Tomoya countered it, and then protected me from the fall."

"Is this true?" Yukine asked as she walked up to us and studied my face.

"Yeah," I replied, scratching the back of my neck. "I think I understand how it looked, but that's what happened, honest."

"They're telling the truth, Yukine," came a familiar voice, and I smiled as we saw Michael walking up to our group. "I was watching him train; she tried to throw him, and he hooked his leg behind hers and then spun so she'd fall on him instead of the other way around." He thumbed over his shoulder. "I can show you if you don't believe me."

"No, that's okay," Yukine said shaking her head; I had to resist being hypnotized by the swaying of her hair. "Tomoya said that nothing happened, and I believe him. After all…" she stepped up to me and laid a hand on my chest. "…I know the kind of man he is."

I fought the pressure building behind my eyes as I felt a swelling in my chest. "Thanks, Yukine. That means a lot to me."

"And you must be Sakagami Tomoyo," Michael said, bowing slightly. "I'm Michael Knight…er, Knight Michael? Just call me Michael…please."

"Nice to meet you, Michael," Tomoyo replied, returning the bow. "Thank you for vouching for us."

"No problem," he said with an easy smile. "Tomoya here's told me a lot about you, how you've been helping him and stuff."

"Really?" she said, shooting me a glare.

"Yeah," he replied, apparently not noticing her expression. "And between what I've heard and what I've seen, we could use someone like you."

"We?" she asked, raising an eyebrow; It occurred to me that scouting Tomoyo might have been his mission.

"I work for the Foundation for Law and Government," he said, handing her a card. "We mainly work in America, but we've been expanding our reach. Our security forces could use some beefing up, and I really think you'd be good for them."

She whirled on me, startling Yukine to hide behind me. "I told you I don't want to fight any more, and you do this?!"

"Calm down, young lady," Michael said soothingly. "Tomoya didn't set this up; I'm doing this all on my own."

"If you say so," she growled, sending another glare my way.

Michael gestured to the card in her hand. "Just…consider it. Please. Meanwhile…" he said, turning toward me, "…I need to talk to these kids. Is he free to go, Drill Sergeant?" he asked, sending a lopsided smile to Tomoyo.

She blushed at his gaze; apparently Michael could be a real charmer. "S-Sure."

"Great!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands. "Got a few minutes, kiddo?"

"Um, sure," I replied, glancing at Tomoyo. "Lead the way."


	29. Recruitment

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Recruitment**

"So…what's up?" I asked as we approached KITT.

"Well," he said as he turned and leaned against his partner, "the thing is, I…" He scratched the back of his head.

"Is something wrong, Michael-sama?" Yukine asked, and I heard a level of concern that matched mine.

"Well, yes and no," he replied as he rubbed his hands together; I'd never known him to have this much trouble expressing himself.

" _Michael, are you all right?"_ Even KITT sounded concerned.

"How do I put this…? I know!" he said, suddenly perking up. "Is your genius friend still here?"

"Probably not," I said. "If she's still here, she might be in the-"

"Tomoya-kun!" a happy voice sounded behind us. "Ah, and Yuki-chan and Michael and KITT; good afternoon!"

"Hey, speak of the devil!" Michael said warmly as Kotomi walked up to our group and stood before me.

"I saw you as I was leaving school and wanted to say 'hi'," she explained. "I was hoping that we could walk home together."

"I…appreciate that, Kotomi-chan," I said very carefully. "B-But Michael needs to talk with us right now…actually, you wanted to talk with her, too, didn't you?" I said to him.

"Are you comfortable talking here?" Michael asked my friend as she turned awkwardly toward him.

"I…I suppose that would be all right."

Michael sighed heavily. "Look, I'm just going to shoot you straight."

" _Meaning he's going to be bluntly honest with you,"_ KITT translated.

"Yeah," Michael said, then licked his lips. "Look, the fact of the matter is…I'm fifty-three years old, almost fifty-four, and…well…I'm not as young as I used to be."

"I…think I understand," I said, hoping my words came out politely. He didn't look old to me, but…

"And Bonnie, even though she won't admit it, isn't much younger than I am. Now, because of her type of job, she won't need to retire for several more years, but…" He bit his lip. "Damn, I never knew it would be this hard…"

"It's okay," Yukine said comfortingly as she took my arm. "Take your time."

He scratched the side of his head and rubbed at his face.

" _Michael? Perhaps_ _I_ _should talk to them."_

"No, buddy, I got this; it's just harder than I thought it would be." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I can't keep up with this anymore, kiddo. Green Beret for two, three years, ten years as a cop, twenty years as a crusader for justice…" He gave me a sad smile along with a shrug. "I'm burned out."

"I'm so sorry," Yukine said.

"S'okay, cutie; we're all getting older. I just have a few years up on you," he finished with a wry smile.

"I don't mean to be rude," I said as respectfully as I could, "but why are you telling us all this?"

"Well, this is kinda the fun part," he said, crossing his arms. "I've been keeping an eye on you; at school, training with Sakagami, at home…"

"Don't I have any privacy?" I asked, feeling rather vulnerable.

"We eased up when you were at home," he admitted with a wink. "Anyway, Bonnie and KITT and I have talked and…well, we'd like to train you to be KITT's new partner."

My jaw dropped and I heard Yukine gasp. "A-A-Are you serious?!" I blurted. "I'm still in high-school! I'm a kid! My grades are still terrible!"

He started ticking off on his fingers. "You're smart, you're resourceful, you know when to fight and when not to…" he stopped counting and spread his hands. "…but, most importantly, you've got heart."

"Heart?" Yukine asked. "What do you mean?"

"I think you know what I mean," he said with a wink. I looked over to see her blushing, and then I understood.

"You're talking about when I got mad about those kidnapped kids, aren't you?"

"Bingo," he said, pointing at me. "In fact, both of you are all about other people. And you…" he said, directing his words to Kotomi. "You've impressed the hell out of my wife when the two of you have talked."

"So here's the deal." He pointed at me again. "I want to train you to be KITT's new partner, and you," he continued, pointing at Kotomi, "to work on replacing Bonnie as KITT's technician."

"Me?" Kotomi squeaked before looking over at KITT. "I could not…I…such an amazing car…"

Amazing? How much did Kotomi learn about KITT, anyway? I felt a little jealous.

" _If it is of any comfort, Ichinose-san; I would be honored to be in the care of one of your caliber."_

"R-Really?" Kotomi started trembling, then suddenly turned and grabbed onto my free arm. "T-T-T-Tomoya-k-kun…I d-do not know wh-what to do."

I gave Yukine a nervous look, but she returned a serene smile, so I figured that I didn't have to worry about Kotomi's current clinginess. "Well…would you like to work on a car like KITT? Create new abilities for him, or whatever?"

Her eyes grew wide as she gasped. "Oh, I would!"

I gave her a comforting smile. "There's your answer, then."

Kotomi hesitantly released my arm and turned toward the crime-fighting duo. "I-I would be honored to assist," she said as she bowed deeply. "I-I look forward to working with you. Please take care of me."

"The honor is ours," Michael said, inclining his head. "We look forward to working with you, too."

" _Please take care of us as well,"_ KITT added.

Michael smiled at her before focusing his attention behind us. "What about you? Ichinose's on board, how about you?"

We turned to see Sakagami approaching us from the training area. "What exactly would I be doing?"

His smile broadened. "Beating up our security forces until they get their act together."

"Then I'm out," she said with a frown and turned to walk away.

"Whoa, wait!" Michael called. "I was just kidding!"

"She's pretty sensitive about that," I reminded him.

"No kidding," he said as she returned. "I'm sorry about that, sweetheart…really. Basically, you'd be doing for security what you've done for Tomoya; getting them fighting-fit and better at protecting people."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Would I have anyone looking over my shoulder?"

"At first, yeah," he admitted. "Just to make sure you're a good fit. But after your trial period, you'd have a free hand to train however you want."

Her eyes lost focus as she thought. Finally she said. "I'll talk to my parents about this, but I don't think they'll believe me; this is just too…weird."

"I understand," Michael replied with an easy smile. "I have no problem meeting with them if that'll help."

She cast several glances at me. "Will…will I be helping Okazaki, too?"

"Well, that's up to him," he said. "What do you say, Okazaki? Want to be a champion of justice? Protect innocent people from those who think they're above the law?"

"Tomoya-kun…" Kotomi said, grabbing my hand, "…please? I-I…It will not be the same without you."

I looked to Yukine. "What do you think?"

Yukine smiled a little anxiously. "I won't lie; I'd be worried every time you're on a mission, but…if you're doing something you love and you're helping people…" Her smile turned radiant. "I'll support you as much as I can."

"Don't worry," Tomoyo said to my girlfriend. "I'll be there to keep him in shape and in top fighting form," she finished, raising a fist.

"And I will do my best to make sure that KITT can support him in any way that is needed," Kotomi added, taking hold of my arm again. I would really have to talk to her about that…

"Well?" Michael said. "Looks like you've got the support of three beautiful women, not to mention two of the best teachers in the world," he added with a cocky grin. "What do you say?"

I looked from Michael's warm smile to Kotomi's excited one, to Tomoyo's determined expression and, finally, down to Yukine's serene eyes.

"Well…"


	30. A Knight Christened

**Chapter Thirty: A Knight Christened**

Michael slow-clapped as I stepped into the 'apartment' area in my new uniform to show off to the crew. "Hey, you look good, kiddo! Real sharp!"

"Oh, you look so handsome!" Bonnie agreed.

"Eh heh…thanks," was all I could manage as I rubbed the back of my neck.

It might have been a little stereotypical, but after going through several options we had decided what I would wear on my missions: a basic black kung-fu uniform. It managed to look professional without looking pretentious, and it would allow me to move and fight if I needed to. Hopefully I wouldn't run into any kung-fu practitioners who might have a problem with it, though if anyone wanted to challenge my 'right' to wear one, a few minutes of sparring would earn me enough of their respect for them to let it pass.

"It's still too bad the leather jacket and jeans didn't work out," Michael lamented. "That getup served me well for years."

"Yeah, but no one wears it like you do," Bonnie said affectionately, patting his arm.

"How's it feel, Okazaki?" Tomoyo asked. "Can you move okay in it?"

I threw a few hand strikes and kicks, followed by a couple of my more acrobatic moves. "Feels good," I said. "I feel like I could take on the world…or, at least, its criminal element," I amended, casting a glance at my mentor.

"That's the spirit, kiddo!" Michael said with a thumbs-up.

"How about your shoulder?" Yukine asked as she laid a hand on my chest. "Does it feel better now?"

I rotated my right arm several times. "You know, I'm still amazed," I said with wonder. "How long ago did I have surgery? A month ago?"

"Eh, give-or-take," Michael replied.

"I mean, I take it for granted when training or just day-to-day stuff, but when I think about it I still can't believe…" I trailed off as I had to swallow a lump.

"Our pleasure, Tomoya," Bonnie said with a motherly smile.

"I am so happy for you, Tomoya-kun!" Kotomi exclaimed. "You have your shoulder back, you have a job doing good things for others, and…and…" Here came the typical blush. "…and I get to help you."

"Feels good being part of something bigger than yourselves, don't it?" Michael asked us, draping an arm over my shoulder.

Truth be told, we hadn't done much beyond some recon missions. We'd been trying to find whoever had ordered the abductions of Yukine and the others. While KITT and I had found some small pieces of evidence, it wasn't enough to give us a name. Still… "It does feel good," I said as I made a fist. "We'll find whoever hired those kidnappers, and they will face justice...soon."

"WHOO Tomoya!" Tomoyo yelled while fanning herself, and Kotomi awkwardly high-fived KITT's fender.

With pinked cheeks, Yukine stepped in front of me and put her hand on my chest again. "T-Tomoya? C-Could we talk after this?"

"Sure," I said, relaxing my fist to cover her hand. "Whatever you want."

Her blush deepened, leaving me wondering what it could be.

"We'll turn him loose, but first, KITT has a gift for him." Michael turned to the supercar. "Don't you buddy?"

" _As a matter of fact, I do."_

"Seriously?" I walked up to KITT's driver-side door as it opened. "What is it?"

" _Get in and I'll show you."_

I slid into his driver's seat, while Yukine got in the other seat. "Thanks, KITT. So, what is it?"

" _I have a name for you,"_ he replied as a face appeared on the monitor. _"His name is Nagano Kenshi; he is on the board of directors, and the one who ordered the abductions."_

My blood froze; now we could nail the son-of-a-

"Uncle…Kenshi…?" Yukine said in a trembling voice.

I blinked, then reached out and took her hand. "What's the matter, Yuki-chan?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "He's one of daddy's best friends. His family would come over for dinner and would invite us over, too. I can't believe…" She pulled her hand from mine to cover her face as she started to cry.

I reached out to tenderly stroke the back of her head. "I'm so sorry, Yukine."

" _As am I,"_ KITT said. _"I do hope, for your sake, that our information is incorrect."_

"Unfortunately, that's all we have to go on right now," Michael added in a subdued tone. "Bonnie, would you…?"

She simply nodded before stepping around to lean into the vehicle. "Come on, sweetheart," she said, touching Yukine's shoulder. "We'll drink tea and cry together, okay?"

Still crying, Yukine allowed herself to be helped out of the vehicle and over to one of the couches.

I heard a 'sniff' and looked over to see Kotomi on the verge of tears herself. "Why don't you go with them, Kotomi-chan? I'm sure she could use the support."

She said nothing, but nodded tearfully and made her way over to the couch where Bonnie sat comforting my girl.

I crossed my arms as I stared at the image of Yukine's 'uncle'. "KITT? Evidence, please?"

" _Right away, Tomoya."_ And KITT showed me e-mails, records of telephone calls, surveillance footage of the suspect, and-

"Damn," I said. "This isn't rock-solid, but it sure looks incriminating."

"Yeah," Michael said as he got into the passenger seat. "KITT and I put our heads together and went over this last night…I didn't know he was important to her, though."

"Do you think she'll forgive me if I have to put her uncle in prison?"

"I don't think she'll hold it against you or anything," he replied.

" _I'm inclined to agree; I do not believe that she would hold you accountable for the actions of another."_

I sighed heavily. "Thanks…I think so, too." I lightly bumped my fist against the yoke a couple of times. "Well, all we can do is catch him and see what he has to say. Damn."

"Sorry your first mission has to be so rough," Michael offered.

I chuckled. "It's not what I was expecting, but…" I blew air noisily between my lips. "I don't get to pick the bad guys. Thanks, KITT," I said as I got out of the car. "I didn't mean to spit on your gift."

" _No offense taken,"_ he replied. _"I regret that the good news is bad news as well."_

I gave him a couple pats on the fender, unsure of what to say. Then I headed over to check on my girlfriend.

"I'm okay; I guess it was…a bit of a shock," she said as I knelt down to look into her face. Kotomi sat next to her, eyes still puffy.

"If it helps, KITT feels really bad about it," I offered.

She wiped her eyes as she shook her head. "Mmnn-mmnn. It's not his fault if Uncle Kenshi did these things." She reached out and touched her fingertips to my cheek. "Just…do what you have to, okay? I know you won't hurt him unless you have to."

I took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'll do my best."

* * *

Nobody said much during lunch; I think we all felt bad for Yukine at the possibility of a family friend going to prison. Other than requests to pass food, the meal was quiet. Even Michael seemed pretty subdued.

I thought back to what I had seen on KITT's monitor; it seemed damning, sure, but…something wasn't right about it. I realized that I hadn't listened to the phone calls. Perhaps something could be found there?

After a somber lunch, Yukine and I went outside for a walk around the Bishop. "Did you still want to talk about what you were saying earlier?" I asked. "I mean, I'm willing to wait if-"

"No no," she said, shaking her head. "I'm fine for this." She stopped, causing me to do the same. "Tomoya? How long have we been together?"

"Gosh, let me see…" I needed a minute to think. "We met back in April, so…four months? It's August now, so…yeah."

"Yeah…" she agreed, looking into my eyes and, for a moment, I had to resist falling into them; they were so warm and inviting. "It seems like longer, though, doesn't it?"

I had to think about that as well. "Yeah, now that you mention it; a lot has happened."

She giggled softly. "Being kidnapped wasn't fun, but it was certainly exciting."

"I just wish I'd found you sooner," I admitted heavy-heartedly.

"But you found me… And you worked really hard to save me." She bit her lip. "That's why…that's why…"

I reached out and gently laid my hands on either side of her face, caressing her cheeks with my thumbs. "Hey…It's okay; I'm here for you."

"I know," she squeaked, tears filling her eyes. "I've seen your real heart, Tomoya, and that's why…"

I smiled. "Does milady want something?"

She looked up into my eyes with tears streaming down her face. "I want…to be your wife."


	31. The Expected Heartbreak

**Chapter Thirty-One: The Expected Heartbreak**

"Four months?!" Michael was beside himself. "Man, you work fast, don't you?"

"We've been through a lot together," I explained, with my arm around my furiously blushing fiancée. "Rescuing her was kinda the…tipping point."

"Oh, just ignore him," Bonnie said, giving her husband a playful swat on the arm.

It could have been my imagination, but I thought I saw a flicker of pain cross my mentor's face. "Yeah…Yeah, sorry about that. Guess I don't have any room to talk, huh?"

"Huh?" I was genuinely perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing; never mind." He smiled at us, but it seemed forced. "Hey, congratulations you two."

"Thank you," Yukine said quietly. I looked over to see her looking down at the floor and smiled sympathetically.

"C-C-C-C…"

I looked over to Kotomi, who stood fidgeting with her hands folded, looking more than a little pale. "Kotomi-chan?"

Her eyes seemed almost vacant, though I could see tears forming in them. "C-C-C-C…"

"Hey, you okay there?" Michael made his way over and reached toward her back. "Are you choking on some-"

"Congratulations!" she finally blurted while executing a bow. Then she turned and ran from the room, leaving a teary trail.

"I think I know what's wrong," Yukine said sadly. "Excuse me." With that, she hurried to follow the sobs.

I turned to Tomoyo. "Could you go and help…too…?"

I couldn't believe my eyes: It was as though Tomoyo had been frozen in place, staring at me with tears running down her face. Tomoyo never cried to my knowledge, so…

"Come on, sweetheart," Bonnie said for the second time that day, this time to my silver-haired friend. "Let's go cry with the others."

Tomoyo said nothing, but allowed herself to be led from the room, following the older woman down the same hallway.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked over to see Michael with a sympathetic look. "It's tough being popular, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

He jerked his chin toward the hallway down which the girls had disappeared. "Your childhood friend wanted to be more than just a childhood friend. And your trainer? She was hoping for more one-on-one time."

I guess I'd recognized the signs, but chose to deny them. "I figured that was the case, but…I guess I'd hoped it wasn't true." I snorted. "I can be such a coward sometimes."

I felt a couple of pats on my shoulder. "Women's emotions can be tricky things," he said. "Even to themselves. Be gentle with them," he finished with a couple more pats to my shoulder.

* * *

"Tomoya-kun? May I speak with you for a minute?"

I lowered my magazine to see Yukine with Kotomi, standing before me with her hands folded and an uneasy expression, and I quickly dropped the magazine as I got to my feet. "Of course; whatever you need."

"You can talk in our room," Yukine offered with a smile.

Kotomi bowed, then headed toward the hallway. I started to follow her, but my fiancée stopped me. "Be gentle," she said. "She's hurting badly."

"Got it," I said with a brief nod.

When we got to my room, I went in first; I wanted Kotomi nearer the door so she could 'escape' if she needed to.

"May I shut the door?" she asked as she came in.

The door had a window in it, so… "Sure. You want the privacy, right?"

She nodded without a word.

I clasped my hands behind me as I leaned against a wall. "So," I said softly, "what did you want to talk about?"

"I…I…" I watched as she fidgeted and knotted her fingers repeatedly. "I-I am sorry for the way I acted earlier. I...I-I was shocked."

"It looked like it," I said sympathetically. "Why were you shocked?" I believed what Michael had told me, but I wanted to hear it from her…personally, if possible.

She crossed the small room to stand directly before me. "Ever since I recognized you in the library, I have been trying to…trying to…"

"Take your time," I said softly. "I'm not going to rush you."

She flashed me a grateful smile before resuming her precious anxious expression. "'The day before yesterday I saw a rabbit, and yesterday a deer, and today…you.'" She reached out and touched my face; a remarkable show of courage for her. "I have remembered the face of the boy I liked for all of these years," she said, tears spilling over her eyelids again. "And then…to come so close…only to find that you love another…"

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I don't know what to say."

She sniffed, breaking my heart. "People think I am so smart…but books and test scores are irrelevant to matters of the heart. And because of that…" she finally melted into a puddle of tears. "I…I lost you!"

I quickly caught her as she fell against me, holding her tightly and letting her cry as much as she wanted. I heard the door click open, and I looked to see Yukine hesitantly step into the room and give me an understanding smile as she came over to rub Kotomi's back.

I left my room several minutes later, feeling completely drained, just in time for… "Hey, Okazaki."

Aw, damn; I wasn't ready yet. "What's up, Sakagami?" I asked as I turned, and was shocked at the puffiness under her eyes. "Hey, you okay?"

"I need to talk to you," she said, ignoring my question. "Gotta get something off my chest."

"Um, sure," I said, trying to avoid looking below her neckline at her words. "Where?"

So I found myself in my room again, this time with Tomoyo standing where Kotomi had previously stood.

"What's up?" I repeated as she closed the door.

She crossed the small room to stand directly before me and studied my face. Then, without warning, she slapped me. Pretty hard, in fact.

"What the hell was that for?!" I yelled, holding my throbbing cheek.

She didn't answer, but made her way to the mirror over the desk in our room. She looked into it for a moment. Then, without warning, she slapped herself. Pretty hard, in fact.

I hurried to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "What the hell was that for?!" I repeated.

"We both should have known better," she answered in a trembling voice. "You should have recognized my feelings for you, but I should have recognized your feelings for her."

Suddenly my face didn't hurt so much. "I'm sorry."

"Me too," she immediately replied. "You're not alone in the blame. I guess I was hoping…"

"Hoping…?"

She scratched her head, bumping her headband out of place. "Just so you know, I'm not going to quit," she said as she readjusted her headband. "I love you Tomoya, so I'm going to make sure you can protect yourself out there, even though…even though it breaks my heart, knowing that you'll be coming back to her."

"You don't have to do that," I protested. "If-"

"I have to," she interrupted, her moist eyes filled with determination. "If you go out and get killed, I couldn't live with myself, see?"

I sighed as I gave her a sad smile. "Okay, I think I get it."

"Ichinose feels the same way, you know."

"Huh?"

"If you got killed because KITT couldn't support you, she'd blame herself."

"How…How do you know? Did she tell you?"

Tomoyo shook her head. "No, she didn't. But we're both girls."

I waited for more, but apparently Tomoyo was finished. "I…don't get it," I admitted with a wry smile. "I guess it's because girls are complicated, right?"

She moved to clap me on the shoulder but stopped herself. "S-See? You do get it." And with that, she turned and let herself out of the room, past a surprised Yukine.

"She's a strong girl," Yukine said, and the admiration was obvious.

"I'm not so sure," I said. "She may talk like a guy, but she's still a girl, and-"

WHUMP!

We hurried out in to the hallway to see Tomoyo lying on her side on the floor. "Sakagami-san!" Yukine cried as she ran and plopped down next to her. "Are you all right?" she asked, taking her hand.

Tomoyo looked up at her with a weak smile. "C-Congratulations, you two."


	32. Pursuit

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Pursuit**

Neither Kotomi nor Tomoyo were out to see me off the next morning.

"They're both pretty worn out after yesterday, so we gave them the day off," Bonnie explained. "Last I saw, they were in their rooms, sleeping."

"I feel terrible about this," Yukine said sadly.

"Falling in love is always a risk," Michael said quietly, "and I think they both knew the odds weren't in their favor."

"Yukine, please take care of them while I'm gone," I told my girlfriend.

"Of course," she said with a warm smile.

"Thank you," I said, then slapped my cheeks with both hands. "Okay; Now, let's see…" I headed toward my partner. "KITT, while we're on our way I'd like to listen to as many of Nagano-san's phone calls as I can."

" _Of course, Tomoya."_

I got in and buckled up. "All right, let's get out of here."

" _Where are we going?"_ KITT asked as we backed out of the Bishop.

"I was thinking that we should stop by his office, but…do you have any way of finding out where he is right now?"

" _I've accessed the webcam at his office. He is there right now."_

"Good. KITT, please play back the phone calls you found, starting with the most recent," I said as I lay back in the seat. "Oh, and if Nagano-san leaves the office, let me know, okay?"

As I listened to the recordings, I tried to put myself in Nagano's place; why would he try so hard to push the deal? And, besides the obvious, why would he think that kidnapping would help? That would take resources that even a bank board member shouldn't have access to…not without raising eyebrows, at least. And another thing… "KITT, pause for a minute, please." After playback ceased I asked, "Have you run a stress analysis on Nagano-san's voice?"

" _I have not; the language alone gave Michael some problems, and it would not occur to me due to my lack of humanity."_

"I'd have to argue that second point, but not now," I mused. "Go ahead and run a stress analysis on all the calls, please."

" _What am I looking for?"_

I gave myself a minute to chew on his question. "A break in a pattern."

" _Are you asking me to scan all the calls and look for any extreme variations?"_

"Yeah, if you would, please."

" _While I'm working on this, may I say something to you?"_

I blinked. "Of course, KITT; any time."

" _This may sound odd, but I appreciate the way you ask me to do things, using 'please' and 'thank you'."_

"Didn't Michael ever say those things?"

A pause. _"Even though we have had a good camaraderie, he has never really used the basic 'niceties'. I suppose it could be due to his time in the military as well as law enforcement."_

"That would make sense."

" _I've finished analyzing the calls, Tomoya."_

"Thanks. Got anything?"

" _I noticed a definite change in overall tone approximately one week prior to the first abduction."_ He played back part of a phone call. _"This is from one month prior."_ He played back another excerpt. _"This is from three days prior."_

I definitely noticed a difference; Nagano sounded relaxed, even cheerful in the first clip, but very tense, almost fearful, in the second. "So what could have happened between those two times?" I lightly tapped the yoke. "Would you call base for me? I should've asked Yukine about this before, but…"

" _The phrase 'better late than never' may apply here."_ KITT suggested. _"I have Bonnie on the line."_

" _Tomoya-san!"_ Bonnie greeted as her face appeared on the monitor. _"Are you lost already?"_

"Huh?"

" _Never mind,"_ she said, waving a hand at me. _"I'm just used to talking with Michael, I guess. What can I do for you?"_

"Is Yukine there? I'd like to ask her some questions about-"

" _I'm here!"_ Yukine exclaimed as she nearly shoved Bonnie out of the way. _"Tomoya! I can't believe I'm talking to you like this! Thank you, KITT!"_

" _You're welcome?"_ I'd never heard KITT sound confused, and I made a note to chuckle about it later. _"Tomoya asked me to contact you."_

" _Wh-What do you need?"_ she stammered, her face reddening, and I wished that I could reach through the screen and kiss her.

"I was hoping that you could help me understand Nagano-san a little better. Can you tell me anything about his family?"

" _Well…he's married, and has three kids…."_

" _Two sons and a daughter,"_ KITT offered.

"How old are they?"

KITT tucked Yukine into a corner of the display as he brought up three other images. _"The oldest is Daichi, male, fifteen years old. The second is Kaiya, female, thirteen years old. The third is Eiji, male, nine years old."_

"Very Japanese naming of the boys," I observed with a grin.

" _Indeed,"_ KITT intoned.

" _You're so funny, Tomoya,"_ Yukine giggled.

"Yukine, can you think of anything I might need to know when I meet up with him?"

KITT removed the other images, letting Yukine's lovely face fill the screen again. _"From what I remember, he really loves his family,"_ she said. _"So maybe if you talk about how helping you will help them, then…"_

"I think I understand. Thanks, cutie."

" _Tomoya!"_ she exclaimed, putting her hands to her cheeks. _"It's too early for me to start blushing!"_

"Sorry, sorry. Well, thanks for your help, and…I should see you in time for dinner."

" _Okay. Be careful."_ Her image winked out.

" _She's 'quite the catch', as Michael would put it."_

"Yup," I agreed. "I'm a really lucky man."

We rode in silence for several minutes, until: _"Tomoya, Nagano-san has just shut off his computer. I believe he will be leaving shortly."_

"Do we have some way of tracking him? Wait…what about the traffic cameras?"

" _I was thinking the same thing."_

"How long until we reach Tokyo?"

" _Forty-five minutes at current velocity."_

"We need to get to him before he gets home. KITT, please plot an intercept course based on his most likely route."

" _That was quite the mouthful, young man; I'm impressed."_

"What can I say? I have a good teacher." I briefly considered my options. "You said forty-five minutes at current velocity…any way to get more velocity?"

" _We_ _are_ _on a main highway, so may I recommend Super Pursuit Mode?"_

"I don't remember hearing about that."

I heard the *whoosh* of a panel opening, and I looked to see two buttons, a green one and a red one, in a recess in the dashboard. "Is this it?" I asked as I pointed at them.

" _Those are they. I cannot activate it myself, so if you would press the green button, please."_

"Well, here goes…" I said as I cautiously pressed the button.

I heard several mechanical noises, and out through the windshield I could see parts of KITT's exterior shifting.

" _Please sit back in the seat and, as Michael would say, hang on to your hat."_

I did as I was told, but… "KITT, I'm not wearing a haAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

In what seemed like an instant, my partner in crime fighting had shot up from 160 kilometers per hour, which was fast enough, to over 600 kilometers per hour.


	33. Suspected Victim

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Suspected Victim**

"WHOO! This is amazing!"

" _I'm glad you approve."_

I finally got my lesson on KITT's alternate form, complete with diagram. "Wow…" I breathed. "You look like one of those race cars. You know, the ones that look like airplanes?"

" _I believe you're referring to the Formula-One body style."_

"That's it, right," I said, gesturing to the dashboard. "Oh, right! How long now?"

" _Approximately fifteen minutes. I will have to discontinue Super Pursuit Mode before we enter Tokyo, so I can only give an approximation."_

"That still gives us plenty of time," I said. "Can I count on you to adjust our course if we need to?"

" _Of course. Let me do the driving while you think about what you're going to say to Nagano-san when we catch him."_

"Got it." And with that, I lay back in the seat again and thought about everything that I had learned from Yukine and KITT.

* * *

" _Tomoya? We need to discontinue Super Pursuit Mode."_

"Huh?" I grunted, snapping out of my train of thought. "Oh, right; what do you need me to do?"

I heard the panel slide open again. _"Simply press the green button again to deactivate it."_

"What about this one?" I asked, probing near the red button.

" _That is the Emergency Braking System. It is needed only when I need to stop rather abruptly. As we will have plenty of time to slow down, it is not needed."_

"Okay," I said, then pressed the green button and watched as the various fins and other extensions slid back to their original places. "Awesome…" I breathed.

" _I have adjusted our course to intercept; we should meet up with Nagano-san in approximately five minutes. Are you ready to talk with him?"_

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied.

* * *

Finding and stopping him was easy enough, and I soon found myself standing before the man himself.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "Who are you?"

"I work for the Foundation for Law and Government," I replied. "We're investigating some recent disappearances."

"I-" An eye twitch; very interesting. "I had nothing to do with any kidnapping! I-I would not stoop to such treachery!"

"Kidnapping? Who said anything about kidnapping?" I gave my sweating target a knowing smile. "All I mentioned were disappearances, and I never accused you of anything."

"GCK!" He tugged at the collar of his expensive-looking uniform. "I…I don't know anything!"

"Really?" I said, crossing my arms. "That's good to hear; Yukine would be disappointed to find out her 'uncle' had ordered her abduction."

"But she was rescued!" he protested. "The guards said that-" He cut himself off with a profanity before hanging his head in defeat. "…I didn't want to do it."

"So why'd you do it?"

"Because…they have my family, too."

"'They'?"

" _Tomoya,"_ KITT said through my watch, _"may I speak with you for a minute?"_

"Don't run off," I ordered the older man as I made my way to my partner's open door and leaned in. "What's up?"

" _Based on vocal analysis, I believe he is telling the truth. Also…"_ A series of documents appeared on his display in sequence. _"I've just checked recent police reports; He reported his family as missing a week prior to the abductions."_

"More kidnappings…" My blood was starting to boil. "Thanks, KITT." I closed his door and made my way back to Nagano, pointing a finger at him. "You are going to tell me everything you know, and then we will rescue your family and nail their kidnappers to the wall."

Nagano started trembling and tears started to pool. "I'll help you any way I can."

* * *

After dropping his car off at home, he got into KITT, and: "That's a lot of buttons. Who…who are you?"

I glanced over at him as we headed back to the highway and the Bishop. "Who I am is not important. I am taking you to the Bishop, where you will tell us everything. After that I will rescue your family by any means necessary. After that, I will disappear from your life, along with those who hurt you. Understood?"

" _I don't think it would hurt for you to tell him your name, especially since we need him to trust us."_

I didn't have to look to know that Nagano's face had paled. "Wh-Who said that?" he stuttered.

"This is my partner, KITT, who felt the need to remind me of basic manners." I glanced over at my charge. "I agree with him, and apologize for my bad manners. My name is Tomoya; I look forward to working with you," I finished, inclining my head; I was driving, after all.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Nagano nod quickly in a bow of his own. "I look forward to working with you, as well."

"KITT, call Michael, please. I think we can start the Q&A while we're on our way and finish up when we get there."

" _Right away."_

It only took seconds form Michael's face to appear on the screen. _"Hey kiddo, what's up?"_

"We have Nagano-san and we're on our way to the Bishop, but I thought we could start asking him questions on the way."

" _That_ _sounds_ _like a good idea, but no. Let's wait until he gets here, get some food and coffee in him, make him feel welcome. He's a guest, not our prisoner."_

"Right, sir," I replied. "Sorry about that."

" _I know you're eager to get to the bottom of this, but we operate on an 'innocent until proven guilty' philosophy here. Got it?"_

"Yes, sir."

" _Good,"_ he said with an easy smile. _"See you in a bit, then."_ His image winked out.

My first mission, and I was botching it. "Nagano-san, I'm sorry; this is my first mission and…well, like the boss said, I'm eager to fix this."

"That's okay, young man; I appreciate your zeal." I looked over to see him smiling at me, though it was tinged with grief. "I can see that you want to help, so let's have coffee and I'll tell you and your boss everything."

I smiled as well. "Thanks for being patient with me. I don't mean to make this harder on you than it's already been."

We got on the highway, but didn't use Super Pursuit Mode this time; instead, we settled for KITT's normal cruising speed while we tried to make some small talk. Nagano learned a little bit about KITT and we learned a little bit about him.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the Bishop.


	34. Information Gathering

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Information Gathering**

"Welcome, Nagano-san," Michael said, bowing. "Call me Michael."

"Thank you…Michael," Nagano said, returning the bow. "I'm sure you'd like to get started; I know I want my family back as soon as possible."

"Sure thing," Michael said smoothly. "We'll talk over lunch. My wife Bonnie and Miyazawa are working on it right now."

"Mi...ya…" Nagano suddenly grew pale. "They're here?"

"Just Yukine," I said, and watched for his response.

He didn't disappoint. "I…I cannot face her…after…"

"Hey, it's gonna be okay," Michael said with his best comforting voice; he clearly wasn't used to comforting men which, when I recalled what I knew about his history, made sense. "You can apologize to her at lunch, she'll forgive you, and everything'll be fine."

Nagano looked to me, and I gave him my best smile. "You know her better than any of us, don't you? You know she'll forgive you."

"I…I want to believe that she will, but-"

"Tomoya!" I heard Yukine cry happily as she ran out from the kitchen area. Then she saw who was with me. "U-Uncle Kenshi…?"

I had to jump back as Nagano nearly threw himself to the floor, his forehead touching it with his bow. "I'm sorry, Yuki-chan! They made me do it!"

"Easy there, Nagano-san," Michael said. "Let's get something to eat; we can talk then."

"O-Okay," he said as I helped him to his feet.

* * *

"So that's what happened…" Yukine mused as we sat at the meal table. "I'm so sorry, Uncle."

"I…just wasn't strong enough," Nagano confessed. "What can I do? I'm just a bank board member! If I went to the police, I'm afraid Akiko and the children would be killed."

"Well, we're not the police," Michael said with a lopsided smile. "We have a little more…leeway."

"And some amazing technology," Nagano said, sending KITT a glance.

" _Thank you very much, Nagano-san."_

I drove a fist into my open palm. "And we're going to use it to get your family back and make sure those who did this face justice."

"T-Tomoya!" I heard Yukine exclaim, and I looked to see her blushing while looking down.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"I-It's not that," she said.

"I think she really likes it when you're fired up like that," Michael observed.

Yukine said nothing, but her blush deepened and spread.

"Wait…" Nagano looked back on forth between Yukine and me. "Is Tomoya your…boyfriend?"

"Eep!" Yukine squeaked as she clapped her hands over her face. Apparently the idea of a family friend finding out was a bit much for her.

I smiled as I turned back to Nagano. "I'm her fiancé, sir. We haven't set a date yet, but I'm sure she'd love for you and your family to attend our wedding."

"Tomoya!" she cried. "Please don't make me blush any more!"

"Maybe we should get to why Nagano-san's here," Michael said. "You ready to tell us what you know?"

Nagano nodded once.

The story he told was unbelievable, though I was sure I would hear similar stories as my career progressed. Apparently the bank board had been approached by an American bank for a buyout back in November of 2002. Their representative was a man by the name of David Butler. At first he seemed like a decent fellow, but as the negotiations progressed he became more and more impatient.

"When he left to go back to America, he told us that he would do whatever it took to make the deal work," Nagano finished, his head in his hands. "We assumed that he meant making their side of the deal more equitable, but…"

"Sounds like he chose the route of extortion, instead," I offered, to which he simply nodded. "I can't help but wonder if Butler-san's boss knows about the kidnappings."

"We can't rule out that they do know," Bonnie said. "Though I'll admit that it would be easier if they didn't; then we'd just be dealing with a rogue employee."

I spun in my chair to face my partner. "KITT, what do you know about this representative?"

" _David Butler, age 42, divorced, one child with former spouse Anna Blazejewski. Joined Shining Bank in 1980 as a teller and quickly made his way up the corporate ladder, becoming representative in 2002."_

"That would have been just a few months before the beginning of negotiations with Hirohito Bank," Michael said, and I realized that this was the first time I'd ever heard the name of Yukine's dad's company; I really needed to do more homework when it came to her family. "Hey KITT; did Butler broker any deals prior to the one with Hirohito?"

" _None that I am aware of, Michael."_

"None of this tells us where he would be getting the money for something like this," I said. "I mean, he could be cutting corners here and there – Yukine and the kids seemed underfed when we rescued them."

"They'd only feed us once a day," Yukine added.

"Rentarou will never forgive me," Nagano lamented.

"With respect, sir, I disagree," I said. "I'll admit that I haven't known the Miyazawas as long as you have, but they seem like very forgiving people. I'm sure they'll be surprised to learn about your involvement but, once they learn about your circumstances, I think they'll be very sympathetic."

"I agree," Yukine added with an adorable smile. "Mom and Dad love all of you very much, and wouldn't hold it against you."

Nagano looked regretfully into his 'niece's' face. "Can you forgive me, Yuki-chan?"

Her smile didn't waver. "I'll admit that I was shocked to find out that you were involved, but now that I know the whole story, I feel bad for you. I forgive you."

Relief washed over the older man's face, seemingly cleansing away some of his guilt. "Thank you, Yuki-chan."

"So what's our next step?" I asked Michael. "I'm assuming that you'll want KITT and me to look into Butler-san, but…" I shrugged with spread hands.

"Same thing we did with Nagano-san," Michael said. "Gather information, find out where he is, and figure out how involved he is."

I paled as I suddenly remembered: "Crap! School's starting up again, and soon!"

Michael gave me a lopsided smile. "Then I guess you and KITT better get crackin', eh?"

* * *

"Tomoya?"

"Yes, sir?"

Nagano rhythmically tapped his leg with his fingertips as we headed back down the highway to take him home. "I appreciate your willingness to involve yourself in this. You…seem a rough boy, but I think you're good for Yuki-chan."

" _For what it's worth, Nagano-san, I'm inclined to agree with your assessment."_

"Eh? Ah, yes…thank you, KITT-san."

" _Just 'KITT', if you would, please."_

"As you wish," Nagano said. "I still cannot believe that I am having a conversation with a car."

" _I hope you're not disappointed by my company."_

"Not at all," he replied. "I look forward to working with you…though I will admit that I will need time to…adjust. Anyway…" he said turning more toward me, "…I look forward to learning about Yuki-chan's fiancé after this has been resolved."

" _That reminds me, Tomoya; do Yukine's parents know about your engagement?"_

Crap.


	35. Back to School

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Back to School**

Sunohara was waiting for me when I arrived on the first day back at school.

"Okazaki! Where were you all summer?!" he shouted; it looked like steam was coming out of his ears.

"Get out of my face, idiot!" I yelled, shoving his face away from mine. "I don't want you kissing me by accident or anything!"

He suddenly took on a knowing expression, which made me more than a little anxious. "Ah, I see; the two of you have gone farther in your relationship, eh?"

I felt the blood drain from my face. "How did you know about that?!"

"WHAT?!" Sunohara bellowed, his previous composure gone. "YOU MEAN…!"

I grabbed him into a headlock. "What do I mean, Sunohara? Tell me!"

"You know…" he wheezed. "…this…and that…"

"Like hell I'd do that!" I retorted, releasing his head, only to grab him by the collar. "Or this! She's a lady, and you may not talk about her like that!"

"Okazaki-kun!" I looked over to see Fujibayashi standing a short distance away, with her hands folded before her and a worried look on her face. The rest of my classmates stood behind her as though she was some kind of shield. "P-Please control yourself!"

I looked from her to Sunohara and back. Finally, I released him. "Sorry about that, everybody; I'm a little stressed right now." I bowed to Fujibayashi. "It won't happen again."

"Eh?" she started blushing for some reason. "No! No, it's okay now. It's nice that you want to stand up for your g-g-girlfriend, but-"

"But violence has no place in the classroom," I finished for her. "You're right, and I apologize. If I need to beat someone up, I'll make sure to do it after school and off of school property," I said, giving her a wink.

"O-Okazaki-kun…" she giggled.

"What's going on here?" demanded a familiar voice. I looked and, sure enough, Kyou came storming into my classroom. "First day back and you two are already being too loud!"

"My fault," I admitted. "Your sister's already called me out on it, though."

"Eh? Ryou?" Kyou actually looked stunned as she turned to her sister. "Really? You did?"

"S-Sort of," Fujibayashi said with an awkward smile. "Okazaki-kun was quick to take responsibility, so I really didn't have to do much."

"See?" I said. "So you can go back to your class now; your sister can handle things in here just fine."

Kyou looked to me with mild annoyance. "I can be here if I want to, you know?"

"Sure, I know that," I said, walking up to her. "But you don't need to police her classroom anymore, right? Unless…" I gave her my best shocked expression. "…you don't think she can handle it?"

"Huh?" Kyou looked at me with wide eyes.

"Well, yeah, right? Fujibayashi's my class rep, but you keep coming over here every time something goes wrong." I fixed my gaze on hers. "Don't you think your sister can handle being class rep?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, no! Wait, I mean…" Kyou took a step back from me, apparently trying to pull herself together. "Ryou can do it, sure!"

"Great!" I said. "Then you won't be coming over here to scold me or anyone in this class anymore, right?"

"Y-Yeah…" she licked her lips. "B-But…I can still come to talk to y-you, right?"

"I don't see why not," I replied in my best conciliatory tone. "You could even pick on Sunohara if you want, as long as you don't make trouble for our class rep."

"Hey!" I heard Sunohara protest.

"I could do that," Kyou said, nodding eagerly. "If there's trouble, then Ryou can handle it. I'll come if I want to talk to her or you or to pick on Yohei."

"Hey!" I heard Sunohara protest.

"Sounds good," I said with a warm smile. "I'm glad we had this talk, Kyou. I look forward to seeing your sister take charge of this class."

"R-Right." And with that, Kyou blinked several times before turning and slowly making her way to the door, sliding it open and stepping through and shutting it behind her.

I sighed in satisfaction, then felt several pairs of eyes on me. I turned to find the rest of my class staring at me with looks of wonder. "What's the matter, guys? Something on my face?"

Ichigo stepped forward. "Who are you and what have you done with Okazaki?"

* * *

"Tomoya! Welcome!" Yukine greeted as I entered the Reference Room for the lunch hour. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Actually, I'd like a little Yukine right now, but I'll settle for some coffee. Thank you."

As expected, she covered her face with her hands to hide the blush. "T-Tomoya!" I had to resist the urge to mouth the words along with her. "It's too early for me to start blushing!"

"Sorry about that, Yukine…I just…"

She peeked out from between her fingers. "Thank you for the compliment."

"You're welcome," I replied. "Your pleasure is my pleasure."

"R-Really?" she asked, removing her hands from her face and moving to the coffeemaker. "Do you mean that?"

"Sure," I said, then gave some thought on how to elaborate. "It's like…I like making you smile, so if I can make you happy then you smile, which makes me happy."

"Making me happy makes you happy…" she trailed off as she looked out the window. "That's…wonderful…" She sounded pleased, if a bit distant.

She was quiet as the coffee percolated, and as she poured a mug, and even as she brought it over to me. "H-Here you go, Tomoya."

"Thanks," I said, feeling more than a little puzzled. "You okay? You kinda vanished for a minute."

She looked up at me with watery eyes. "I want coffee, too."

"Well," I said, getting to me feet, "I can make some for you if-"

"No," she said, taking hold of my arm. "I…I-I want T-Tomoya-flavored coffee."

I smiled softly as I sat back down. "I feel awkward about it, to be honest…but, if that's what you want…" I took a sip of the coffee. "That enough?"

She nodded, and we both got to our feet and circled the table to stand before each other. I reached out and cupped the back of her head with my hand and brought my head down to touch my lips to hers.

Light exploded behind my eyelids, and the next thing I knew I heard a gasp come from behind me. I opened my eyes, only for them to widen on their own. "Wha…?"

Without realizing it, we had somehow backed her up against one of the walls of the Reference Room, thankfully one without a bookcase. Her arms were circled around the back of my neck, one of her legs wrapped around the back of mine, and one of my hands was full of her butt – over her skirt, fortunately. Her normally sleepy-looking eyes, widened as well, had a fire to them that was rapidly fading. I could feel her hot breath puffing against my face, and I was sure she could feel mine, too.

" _I'm sorry,"_ she mouthed as she slid her leg back from around me.

" _Me, too,"_ I mouthed as I released her backside, carefully lowering her to the floor. We then sheepishly turned to see who our unexpected guests were.

The Fujibayashi twins both stood in open-mouthed shock. "O-O-Oka…zaki…ku-"

"I'm really sorry!" I exclaimed, bowing repeatedly. "I – well, we – didn't mean to go that far!"

"R-Right!" Yukine squeaked from beside me, and I looked to see her bowing as well. "It's my fault! I wanted to do something cute with Tomoya, and it got out-of-hand!"

"L-Looks like it w-was really in-hand," Kyou tried to joke, though her voice had an obvious tremor to it. "S-Sorry to interrupt."

I took a deep breath, trying to flush out my embarrassment. "It's…okay. We shouldn't have been acting like that at school, anyway…it just took us by surprise." I gestured to the twins. "D-Did you need something from me? Or from Yukine?"

"Could you do that to me?" Kyou blurted before slapping her hands over her mouth, and I heard Yukine gasp behind me.

"Onee-chan!" Fujibayashi cried, adding one of her hands to the pile on her sister's mouth. Addressing us, she said, "Onee-chan wanted to talk to you, Okazaki-kun, and I came with her to give you some papers that were handed out after you left."

"Oh! I'm sorry." Was I starting to apologize too much? "I thought I was okay to leave."

"You're fine!" Fujibayashi said, then blushed furiously. "I-I mean…it's…okay." She removed her hand from her sister's mouth, picked up her schoolbag, and dug around in it as she approached us. "The teacher forgot to hand them out until after you left," she explained as she handed me the papers with a shaky hand. "H-He asked me to find you and give them to you."

"Thanks," I said as I accepted the papers and examined them. They were just a few homework pages; I figured I could finish them in about an hour or so. "Again, I'm really sorry about the spectacle; we'll be more careful in the future."

She stepped back, pressing her hands into her chest so hard that it had to hurt. "I-It's okay. I-I'm glad you two are d-d-doing well…please excuse me!" she turned and ran from the Reference Room, apparently forgetting her sister, who stood there, frozen, her hands still over her mouth.

I cautiously walked up to the statue of Kyou and waved my hand in front of its eyes. "Kyou? You in there? You okay? Kyou?" I gently knocked on the top of her head.

"Kyou-san…" I heard Yukine breathe in a teary voice.

"Eh?" My purple-haired friend suddenly stood up ramrod straight, her arms dropping to her sides. When she saw me standing right next to her, she yelped and jumped away from me. "I-I'm sorry!" she yelled before bolting from the room.

I stood there, scratching my head, until I felt myself gently embraced, and I turned to hold my lady as she cried.


	36. Approval Ratings

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Approval Ratings**

"I feel terrible; I feel so sorry for them," Yukine said quietly as she sipped at her coffee. "Not in a pitying way, it's just…" she trailed off, seemingly out of steam.

"Yukine?"

She put her mug down and looked me in the eye…or at least she tried to; we were both still feeling self-conscious about what had happened. "I think they both like you, so seeing us like that was…"

"Yeah…" She didn't have to finish her thought for me to understand what she meant. "I'm really sorry about that, Yukine; I had no right to treat you like that."

She blushed attractively as she covered my hand with her own. "It's not your fault, Tomoya. M-Maybe we could have known better, but there was no way we could have known that it would have happened then."

I couldn't argue with her logic. "I see what you mean…but I'm still going to be careful in the future."

"Me, too," she said, nodding. "I…didn't know I could get like that."

"It surprised me, too," I admitted. "It was a pleasant surprise, but we'll still have to watch ourselves so we don't end up doing that in public again. Or in private, for that matter."

"On that note…" she said, finally meeting my gaze, "maybe we really should work on planning our wedding?"

* * *

"Married?" Rentarou sputtered as we sat around the dinner table. "Th-This is rather sudden, isn't it?"

"From your standpoint, yes," I answered carefully. "But your daughter and I have been through a lot together, and…well, let's just say we want to go through more together," I finished as I took Yukine's hand in mine, bringing a smile to her lips.

Rentarou crossed his arms as he sat back in his chair. "And why should I give my only daughter to you?"

"Well, my grades have improved dramatically – wait, please," I held up a hand to stop him as he opened his mouth. "I only mention that to show a willingness to change, improve. As far as employment: I assume that Michael has told you that I'm now an agent of FLAG?"

His crossed arms slowly fell as his face took an expression of disbelief. "I-Is that so? No, I didn't know that."

I nodded emphatically. "Yes, sir. You can check with the Knights if it would help. To be honest, I still have a hard time believing it myself."

"Does it pay well?"

"Not yet, but after I graduate I'll be able to go full-time. Based on what I'm getting just from working on the weekends, your daughter will live comfortably."

"You've grown, Tomoya," Haruka said with a gentle smile.

I ducked my head, still uncomfortable with praise. "Thank you, ma'am. I think all the work that I had to do to rescue Yukine forced me to grow up, rethink myself. I wish I could have done that without her being kidnapped, but…" I looked over at my fiancée and squeezed her hand. "I'm glad some good came from it."

"Me, too," Yukine replied, returning my squeeze.

"I'll definitely consider it," Rentarou said. "I do think you have a lot to learn, but then, so do we all, so…" He scratched at his five-o-clock shadow. "I'll talk with my wife as well as with the Knights and give you my answer within a week."

"Thank you for your consideration," I said, blowing as low as the table between us would allow.

"In the meantime…" he said, waving a dismissive hand. "…go let your father know."

"Yes, sir," I said, and Yukine and I rose from our seats. "If you'll excuse us."

He simply grunted, and I thought I saw a twinkle in his eye.

We were halfway to my dad's place when it hit me: "Wait a minute…LET HIM KNOW?!"

* * *

Yukine was still giggling as we approached the front door to my old home. "Don't feel bad; I didn't notice it until your outburst."

"Yeah," I said, scratching the back of my neck. "I still feel kinda stupid for not catching it sooner. Some detective I am."

"It's okay," she said comfortingly as she patted my arm. "You'll be as great as Michael-sama someday. Believe in yourself; I do."

We stopped in front of the door, and I turned her to face me. "Milady, you're too good for me."

She giggled as she averted her gaze. "Will you accept me, anyway?"

I answered by lowering my face toward hers and, as she turned her head toward me, I captured her lips with mine.

"Tomoya!" she gasped, fanning herself after I released her. "Don't surprise me like that! I don't want another Reference Room situation on your front porch!"

"Ouch, you're right," I conceded. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay," she puffed. "I just don't want to make another scene….not yet, at least."

That caused my eyebrows to raise as I reached out to knock on the door. A short time later, the door opened to reveal: "Ah, Tomoya-kun; are you here for a visit?"

"Sort of," I said, and I was surprised to feel no irritation in the presence of my dad. I must have matured even more than I thought. "I'd like to introduce you to Miyazawa Yukine. She's a second-year at my school."

"Indeed?" his eyebrows raised, and I found myself wondering if my eyebrows looked like that. "What a lovely young lady. Please, come in," he offered, stepping back from the entrance."I was preparing tea when you arrived."

My smile still felt forced, but not as much as I thought it would. "Thank you. We'll try not to overstay our welcome." And with that, Yukine entered my childhood home for the very first time.

* * *

"What a nice place," Yukine breathed as she looked around the common area. "Everything's so easy to get to."

"It's comfortable," Dad said as he shuffled over to the kitchen area…wait, shuffled? "I have everything I need here, and the convenience stores are close…it's cozy."

"Dad?" I asked. "Is there something wrong with your foot? You're walking funny."

"I'm fine," he replied soothingly. "I accidentally broke my foot at work a while ago; it's just taking a while to heal."

My jaw dropped; I never heard about that. "Broke…your…" I looked over at Yukine equally shocked expression.

She quickly got to her feet and hurried over to the kitchen. "Please, Okazaki-sama; let me do this for you."

"Are you certain, young lady? You're my guest."

"Yes, please!" She was almost begging. "Please let me help!"

He looked over at me with a question mark over his head. "You may as well let her," I told him with an awkward smile. "When she wants to help someone, she finds a way to do it, anyway."

He chuckled softly. "Very well, dear; thank you very much." He started to shuffle back over to the table.

I quickly got up from my spot and teleported to Dad's side. "Can I help, too? You look really uncomfortable."

He studied my face for a moment before moving me to his other side to lean heavily on my shoulder. "Thank you very much," he grunted.

The tea was made and we helped Dad get seated. "So," he grunted, adjusting himself to a more comfortable position, "why have you brought this young lady here?"

I decided to cut to the chase. "We want to get married and, since I'm still under twenty, I was hoping that you'd give permission."

He smiled gently. "You don't need my permission, Tomoya." He gestured to a nearby bookcase. "Would you get the slim black folder from there? Second shelf down, all the way on the left."

I retrieved the requested item, but when I tried to give it to him, he just smiled sadly. "I don't need it, but I think you'll find what's inside useful."

Confused, I plopped down back it my spot and opened the binder.

"You're free, Tomoya."

I wasn't very good at understanding legal documents, but if I understood correctly what I was reading, Dad had basically had me declared 'emancipated'. "I…I don't understand…"

I heard him clear his throat, which drew my attention. "I…have been a poor father and, as such, I no longer wish to be a burden to you."

"Wh-What…?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

He smiled kindly, though a tinge of sadness remained. "You are free to choose your own path in life, without interference from me. You may do what you want, marry who you want, do whatever job you can and want to do…you're free."

I looked down at the document through blurred vision before looking up at him again. "Thank you…Dad."


	37. Bonding

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Bonding**

"That wasn't what I expected at all," I said as we left my childhood home. "Of course, seeing how he is now…"

"Maybe he looks different because you've changed," Yukine suggested. "You're not the man you used to be."

I sighed heavily. "Yeah, you're probably right," I admitted. "I've been through a lot since moving out."

"I don't know how this is going to sound…" Yukine said hesitantly, "…but I'm really proud of you."

I felt my face grow hot. "Th-Thanks, Yukine; that means a lot to me."

"I'm glad that I met you, I'm glad to have been your girlfriend…"

"What do you mean, 'have been'?" I exclaimed.

She giggled as she spun to stand in front of me, her hands behind her back, bringing us to a halt. "…and I'll be glad to be your wife."

In spite of the dimming sunlight, the world exploded with color and brightness, and the sun no longer shone from the sky but from Yukine's heart; her radiance was almost blinding. "Yu-Yukine…" I breathed in wonder at what my mind's eye was showing me.

She giggled again before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around me. "Thank you for coming to the Reference Room, Okazaki Tomoya; I love you so much."

"Thank you for being there," I replied through a constricted throat. "You've brought so much happiness to my life, it's…too much." I gave her a squeeze and let the moisture stream from my eyes. "I never thought that two people could ever be this close."

"Me too," she confessed in a shuddering tone. "I liked being there for people, b-but I was afraid that I would always be alone, and then…"

"God, we're a couple of mush-heads, aren't we?" I choked through the tears.

"Is that bad?" she sputtered through tears of her own.

"I don't know," I managed to say, and pulled her away to place my hands on either side of her tear-stained face and gently kiss her forehead. "L-Let's go home."

She nodded with a sniff as she took my arm and we quietly headed back home.

* * *

"You have my permission," Rentarou said, greeting us at the door.

It took a full five seconds to collect my jaw from the floor. "S-Sir?"

"I give you permission to marry my daughter," he said simply.

"D-Dad…?" Apparently Yukine couldn't believe what she was hearing, either.

"You just turned seventeen, so you'll need special permission to marry," he said to his daughter. "Your mother and I will take care of it, so feel free to plan the festivities." He then turned to me. "I-"

"Wait a minute, please," I interrupted as politely as I could. "You told me a week. Did something change?"

He burst into laughter. "I said 'within a week', and I'm sure you've already realized my 'slip-up' from earlier?" he asked between chuckles.

"Yes, sir," I said with a smile spreading across my face. "I let my dad know."

"Good, good…" He reached out and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Tomoya, I've seen the kind of man you are, how you pushed yourself to improve so you could rescue my daughter as well as mature just in general." He crossed his arms, smile still in place. "I'd be a fool to give her to anyone else."

"D-Daddy…"

Rentarou looked over to his daughter, and his face fell. "Yuki-chan…what's wrong?"

I looked over to find Yukine in her mother's arms, repeatedly rubbing at her eyes. "Thank you, Daddy; I'm *sniff* so happy!" she cried as she melted into a puddle of tears, and I found myself smiling even as I swallowed a lump of my own.

* * *

"It's really happening…"

"Yeah…"

"And I'm not even a third-year yet…"

"Yeah…are you okay with that?"

She gave me another squeeze as we snuggled on the sofa. "I can't imagine being with anyone else."

"Are your friends going to miss you?"

"Probably," she said quietly.

"I'm not trying to take you away from them, you know."

"I know," she sniffled, then wiped at her delicate nose. "You're a good man, Tomoya." She then growled softly. "I am not going to start crying again."

"Go ahead and cry if you need to," I told her. "Crying just means that you feel something really deeply. The tears are like…liquid emotion."

"I never thought of it that way," she sniffled again. "Thank you. May I lay my head in your lap?"

"Hey, we haven't done that in a long time! Yeah, go ahead," I said as we untangled ourselves, and she carefully rested her head in my lap. "One pampering, coming up."

"You're so silly," she giggled as she gave my leg a gentle whack, then she rolled onto her back and looked up at me. "Are you really happy with me? I'm not strong like Sakagami-san or smart like Ichinose-senpai."

"They're nice girls, yeah…but…I'm not sure how to explain it…" Finding myself at a loss for words I simply looked into her eyes. "I love you; that's my explanation."

She said nothing, but reached up to link her fingers behind my neck, and I carefully helped her sit up just enough to bring our lips together. I heard her take a deep breath as she started to tighten her grip, so I gently pulled away. "Easy there, beautiful; it's not time to get worked up yet."

"Sorry," she said as we lowered her back into my lap. "My heart got so big."

"Your big heart is one of the things I love about you," I said tenderly.

* * *

To avoid another Reference Room incident, we decided to watch a movie. Her dad was a big fan of space programs, so we ended up watching an American movie based on the Apollo 13 mission.

"Wow," I breathed as Apollo 13 started to lift off, "the special effects are amazing."

Yukine pointed at the screen as it showed the wives of two of the astronauts reacting to the launch; one of them had started crying. "That's how I feel when you leave for a mission," she said quietly.

I pulled her to me and gave her kiss on the cheek. "But those men went home to their wives…and so will I."


	38. Crowd Control

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Crowd Control**

Yukine kept hold of my arm all the way to school…in fact, all the way to my classroom. "Yuki-chan?" I said softly as we stood just outside the doorway. "I have to get to class; you do, too."

"I know," she said though she sounded unsure of herself. "I'm just afraid that I'll wake up and find out that this was all a dream."

"Hey, this is a dream-come-true for me, too," I told her. "I keep thinking that I'm going to wake up in the middle of class with the teacher yelling at me about something, but…" I gently removed her grip from my arm to rest my hands on her shoulders. "To me, this is a dream and it's real at the same time."

"R-Really?" she gasped as her hand went to her chest.

I nodded confidently. "I'm marrying a girl most guys could only dream of meeting. I have a job that I never knew existed, and will let me help a lot of people…" I slowly shook my head. "I don't deserve this life, Yuki-chan, so I'm grateful to have it. And I'm grateful to be able to share this…this adventure…with you."

"Tomoya," she said quietly, directly meeting my gaze, "it's too early for me to start crying."

"Aw, I'm sorry," I said, closing my eyes as I drew her into an embrace. "I didn't mean to go too far in answering your question."

"It's okay," she sniffled into my chest. "I like hearing about how you're happy being with me."

"Very happy," I said as we held each other in the hallway…with other students around…I opened my eyes. "Crap…"

We had been completely oblivious to the crowd that had started gathering to watch us. The guys had various levels of 'I want to kill him' expressions, while the girls mainly had stars in their eyes.

"Oh, how cute…"

"…such a lucky girl…"

"…what a man…"

I gave Yukine a gentle squeeze. "I think you'd better get to class," I suggested softly. "We…have an audience."

"Huh?" She pulled away with a puzzled look and turned to see our admirers. "Oh no!" she cried, covering her face. "It's too early for me to be embarrassed!"

"Do you want me to walk you to class?" I offered.

She shook her head, hands and all. "No! No! I'll see you at lunch!" And with that, she tore down the hallway and down the stairs.

I sighed with a tender smile at my fiancée's retreating form. The attention didn't really bother me; I was more concerned about her self-consciousness. "Come on, guys," I said, clapping my hands. "Show's over."

The crowd dispersed, some giving me evil eyes, some jealous, and some sparkling. I was surprised to see that one of the sparkly-eyes girls had long purple hair with a white ribbon tied into it. "Kyou? You okay?" I asked as I approached her.

She blinked and started backing away before turning to run to her own classroom. I sighed, hoping that, at some point, we could come to some kind of reconciliation-

A pain shot through my head as I saw Kyou out in the picnic area behind the school, eyes puffy, tears running down her face, uniform rumpled, mouth moving but no sound…

"Hey, Okazaki!" I felt an arm supporting me, and I looked up into Takahiro's worried expression. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah, sorry," I grunted. "Felt like I got hit by a basketball." I managed to straighten on my own as the pain subsided. "I think I'm good now. Thanks."

He nodded briskly with a friendly smile, then turned and headed into our classroom.

I slowly headed toward my classroom door while deep in thought; I knew the names of most of my classmates, but I really didn't know any of them personally, other than Sunohara and Fujibayashi.

As I entered the classroom, my train of thought derailed at the sound of whooping and cheering, and I refocused to see my classmates looking at me while smiling, cheering, jeering, and just generally being silly.

"Way to go, Okazaki!"

"That's a real man, there! Knows how to handle a woman!"

My face flushed molten as I made my way to my seat under the approving exclamations of my classmates. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Fujibayashi looking sadly at me, and my heart sank just a little.

* * *

As usual, Yukine smiled when she saw me. "Welcome home, honey! Do you like – Tomoya! Are you okay?"

I stumbled into the Reference Room and fell into my usual chair. I leaned back and pinched the bridge of my nose. "This morning was exhausting!" I complained. "They wouldn't shut up about us all morning! It took the teacher ten minutes to get them quiet enough so he could teach."

She giggled sympathetically. "I'm so sorry, Tomoya. If I hadn't been so clingy-"

"You're fine, beautiful," I said waving a hand. "They're just not used to seeing two people in love, so it probably just made them uncomfortable."

"T-Tomoya!"

"But what bothers me more is that the twins saw us, or at least Kyou did," I added.

"Oh," she said, sounding more subdued.

"I just wish that I could take away whatever pain they're feeling over us," I said, increasing the pressure on my nose. "They're both really sensitive, kind girls – even Kyou – and I hate seeing them hurt, especially if I'm the cause."

"But you're not the cause," Yukine said quietly.

I released my nose and sat forward in my chair. "What do you mean?"

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she stared at the tabletop. "They…chose to fall in love with you…and since they're twins, they probably each know that the other likes you. Even if you and I weren't together and you chose one of them, you'd still end up hurting the other." Her gaze flickered up to me before returning to the tabletop. "It's outside your control, Tomoya."

"Hmph." I mulled over her words, but couldn't come up with anything to counter them. "Yeah, I think you're right. I hate it, but I think you're right."

"If it helps, I think you're a good man for wanting to take away their pain," Yukine offered, reaching across the table.

I smiled sadly as I took her hand. "Thanks. That really does help."

We sat there, quietly enjoying each other's presence until she broke the silence. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a little."

"Would a rice omelet be okay?"

A soft smile spread across my face. "Yeah. I'd like that, thanks."

She released my hand, giving it a caress as she did so, and made her way over to her cookware. It wasn't long before a delicious smell wafted through the room.

A few minutes later, she set a plate before me, along with a steaming mug. "Here you go, stud," she said with a lightly teasing tone.

"Thanks, beautiful," I replied with a similar tone, causing her to blush.

She sat down across from me again with her own mug. "I think I'll skip the Tomoya-flavored coffee today," she said somewhat self-consciously.

"Probably a good idea," I said with a light chuckle. "I've heard of people having reactions."

She faked a pout as she swatted me on the arm. "Oh, you." I simply chuckled again and worked on my omelet.

After the fuss of the morning, I really enjoyed the quiet time with her.


	39. Tying up a Loose End

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Tying Up a Loose End**

"Do we get an invitation?" was the first thing out of Michael's mouth when we told the Knights about our finalized engagement.

"Of course you get an invitation, boss," I told him. "Being hired by you is part of the reason we can afford to do this in the first place."

"How wonderful!" Bonnie exclaimed as she approached my fiancée. "You must be excited, aren't you?"

"Very," Yukine said, trembling. "I was nervous that Mom and Dad might not let me, but…"

"What was the problem?" Michael asked.

KITT beat me to the punch. _"In Japan, those under the age of twenty require parental consent in order to marry."_

"Yeah," I said in a lame attempt to confirm his statement. "My dad gave me a document that says I'm basically emancipated, and Yukine's parents will be taking care of her permission."

"Aw, that's sweet," Bonnie said as she affectionately patted Yukine's back. "I'm glad your parents are so understanding."

"Did they call and talk to you?' I asked the older couple.

Michael gave me his trademark lopsided smile. "We had a little chat, yeah."

"Is there anything I should know, anything I need to keep in mind?"

He shook his head, smile still in place. "Nah, you're good, kiddo. Just do your job and marry your girl."

I couldn't help but smile at his 'order'. "Yes, sir."

"Do you need any help with planning?" Bonnie asked. "I'm not familiar with Japanese weddings, but I'm willing to learn."

Yukine and I exchanged smiles. "Actually, we want to do a Western-style wedding, with a minister and all that," I said.

"We're going to be meeting one on Monday," Yukine added. "He runs a church close to a bakery run by the parents of one of Tomoya's classmates."

"She's not in my class," I corrected. "Furukawa's in my grade, but she's in a different class."

"You haven't talked to her in a while, have you?" she asked. "Maybe we could stop by and say 'hi' on our way to the church."

"That's a good idea," I agreed. "Now I kinda feel like I've been neglecting her or something."

"Can't please everyone all the time," Michael quipped.

Yukine took Bonnie's hands and said, "Thank you for your offer; I'll take you up on it if I can. In any case, I would love to see you at my wedding."

"Tomoya-kun."

I turned to see Kotomi coming from the back hallway. "Kotomi-chan! I didn't know you were here!"

She walked right up to me with a solemn expression. "I have been working on ways to improve KITT to better assist you."

"Thanks," I said. "I really appreciate that."

She stared at me for a long time, solemn expression still in place.

"Ichinose-senpai?" Yukine squeaked.

I considered that she was still distressed over my relationship with Yukine, so I did my best to be sympathetic. "Did you need something from me?" I asked softly. "Or Yukine?"

Her lower lip trembled as tears pooled in her eyes but, to her credit, she kept it under control as she turned to my fiancée. "Miyazawa-chan?"

"Y-Yes?" Yukine clearly didn't expect Kotomi to speak to her. "M-May I help you?"

From behind, I could see Kotomi trembling while obviously trying not to. "May…May I…be…one of your…b-bridesmaids?"

Yukine's mouth fell open, if only slightly. "I…I would be honored, Ichinose-senpai."

But Kotomi wasn't done. "May…May I…May I speak with your f-fiancé privately? For just a minute?"

Yukine looked to me, so I answered. "I don't see a problem, but for safety reasons I don't think I should be out of Yukine's sight."

"You could talk just outside the Bishop, at the end of the ramp," Bonnie offered.

"Th-Thank you," Kotomi replied; I'd never seen her act like this before. I had an idea of what she wanted to talk about, but…

* * *

I watched as Kotomi fidgeted, knotting and unknotting her fingers repeatedly as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "This…is very hard for me to say," she explained.

"It's okay; take your time," I said in a comforting tone.

She stopped fidgeting and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, I was surprised when she locked her gaze to mine. "I l-love you, Tomoya-kun, and it b-breaks my heart that you are marrying someone else."

"I understand," I replied. "I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I…I know," she struggled. "What I w-want to know is; c-can we still b-be friends?"

"Friends?" I repeated. Was she serious? "Are you sure you want that? I mean, Yukine's going to be around a lot. Won't that just reopen the wound over and over?"

"I-I would rather deal with that than lose you forever," she replied, remarkably with little stuttering.

I smiled at my childhood friend; what a brave girl. "I admire your strength, Kotomi-chan. I don't know of any other girls – or guys, for that matter – who would put themselves through this for a friendship."

"I love you," she repeated, hugging herself tightly, "but if I cannot be by your side as y-your wife, then I want to be by your side as your friend." She briefly dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "I do not want to lose you; you are all I have left."

I knew what she meant; with the loss of her parents, I was the only one left that she knew. I was kind of a point of connection between her and the rest of the world. "I hope you'll understand," I said, choosing my words carefully, "but I'll need to talk with Yukine about this. She knows how you feel about me, and I need to consider her feelings when it comes to this."

She nodded slowly. "I understand. Thank you for your time." With that she turned and, hugging herself again, walked up the ramp back into the Bishop.

I remained at the bottom of the ramp, scratching my head. "Damn, that was awkward," I muttered to no one.

"Is everything okay?" Yukine asked as she came up to me. "Ichinose-senpai looked like she was about to cry when she came back."

"Yukine?" I said, awkwardly rubbing my hands together. "I need to talk to you about something."

* * *

"I see…" Yukine said with a concerned expression as we drank coffee at the small table in our room. "I think I finally understand why she's so attached to you."

"Look, if you want me to keep my relationship with her completely professional, then I'll do that," I told her. "I'll admit that it wouldn't be easy, considering our history, but if that's what would make you more comfortable…"

"No, that won't do," she said, fisting her hands as she shook her head. "I'm not taking you away from a dear friend just because I might be uncomfortable." She looked up at me with determination. "I trust both of you, so if you say you are just going to be friends, then that's good enough for me."

My brow furrowed. "Aren't you worried that you're taking a big risk, though?"

"No," she replied simply. "Should I?"

I chuckled. "No. No, I'm yours and that's all there is to it. It's just that it seems like so many women get jealous so easily…but you're not like that at all, are you?"

She smiled softly at me. "Like I said; I trust you both. I believe that even if Ichinose-senpai were to try something, you'd stop her."

"You're not wrong about that," I replied, holding my hand out across the table. "She's a nice enough girl, but she's not you."

"T-Tomoya…" Blushing, she reached out and gently took my hand in hers.


	40. Oops?

**Chapter Forty: Oops?**

Pastor Ashton spoke Japanese about as well as Bonnie did, but I got the sense that he was a man who cared deeply about others. After hearing about our respective histories, he actually asked to perform our wedding. "You're good kids," he had said. "Even though you're so young, I feel an air a maturity from both of you." Of course we left out as much as we could about the Foundation, which made the more recent parts of our stories difficult to tell.

With his consultation, we came up with a tentative date: Sunday, June 13. Of course, we'd still have to coordinate with Yukine's parents and my dad and pretty much everyone that would eventually be involved, but the date gave us plenty of time to adjust, though we didn't like how long we'd have to wait.

"I want to be married to you now," Yukine complained as we headed from the church toward Furukawa Bakery.

"I feel the same way," I said. "But I want to be in a better position to provide for us. Right now I can only work on the weekends, and that's just not bringing in enough."

"Hold me, Tomoya," she pouted. "I'm feeling grumpy."

I chuckled lightly as we stopped and I took her in my arms. "How's that, Yuki-chan? Is this what you wanted?"

"No, I said I wanted to be married." In spite of her tone, her arms slipped around my back. "But I do like this."

"I'm sorry you have to wait so long," I said softly as we slowly rocked back and forth, imitating a slow dance. "I'll make it worth your wait, okay?"

"I know you will," she sighed as she snuggled in to my chest. "You're my manly man."

* * *

"Ah! Cosmo!" Furukawa's dad called as we entered the bakery hand-in-hand. "It's been a while! You're here to buy Sanae's bread, right?"

"It's 'Okazaki'," I growled, more out of reflex than anything. "No, we're here to see Furu-I mean, your daughter. Is she here?"

"Okazaki-san!" Nagisa's happy voice could be heard as she entered the shop from the back room. "It's been a long time!"

"Yeah," I said, rubbing the back of my neck with my free hand.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Who's your…friend…?" She trailed off as her eyes focused between Yukine and me.

"That's right; you've never met, have you?" I drew my blushing fiancée in front of me. "This is Miyazawa Yukine. We're going to be married after next year's graduation."

"How do you do," Yukine greeted, bowing deeply. "It's a pleasure to meet to."

"Yeah…" Pops ducked his head, but he appeared distracted as he noticeably glanced over at his daughter, who stared at us with wide eyes before she seemed to catch herself.

"O-Oh!" Nagisa squeaked, then visibly swallowed. "I-It's nice to meet you too, Miyazawa-chan! Wh-What brings you here?"

I gestured to my fiancée. "Well, Yukine reminded me that I haven't seen you in a while, so we're here to see how you're doing, how the Theater Club is doing."

She knotted her fingers repeatedly as she looked at the floor, and Yukine and I looked from each other, to Nagisa, and finally to her dad, who had a subdued look.

"I…had to give up the Theater Club…" she said quietly. "I wasn't brave enough to ask people to join, so…"

"I'm so sorry, senpai," Yukine said consolingly as she walked up to her senior.

"N-No, it's fine!" Nagisa said, backing away, causing Yukine to stop; her behavior was really odd. "I-If I can't talk to people about joining the club, then I don't deserve to have it, right?"

I looked from one Furukawa to the other; something wasn't right. "Is everything okay?" I asked cautiously. "I don't mean to be rude, but something's obviously bothering both of you."

Pops walked over and put a comforting arm around his daughter's shaking shoulders. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"H-Have we done something wrong, sir?" Yukine asked as she slowly made her way back to my side.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "It's just that…Nagisa just got some bad news, and it's a bit of a shock."

"Okay," I replied, studying Nagisa. "Please forgive the intrusion."

I noticed that Yukine looked behind us repeatedly as we left the shop.

* * *

Things were quiet at the dinner table; I didn't know why Yukine was quieter then usual, but I was thinking about what had happened at Furukawa Bakery.

"You two are awfully quiet tonight. Is everything okay?" Haruka asked.

I glanced over at Yukine before speaking. "I'm not sure, ma'am; we visited one of my classmates today. At first, she seemed happy to see us, but then she suddenly seemed upset."

"I think she was surprised to see us together," Yukine said quietly.

Rentarou gave us a worried look. "What do you mean?"

Yukine's expression was so pained that I could feel it. "I…I think she's in love with Tomoya, too."

I sighed as I buried my face in my hands. "Not again…"

"I looked back, and she had the same kind of look that Sakagami-san and Ichinose-senpai had," Yukine explained.

"Slow down a minute," Rentarou said. "What do you mean 'again'? Who are these people?"

I exhumed my face from my hands. "Sakagami's the one who taught me how to fight so I could rescue Yukine, and Ichinose is my childhood friend who's now KITT's new technician."

"Well, you're quite the ladies' man, aren't you?" Rentarou said with a lightly teasing tone.

"No!" I yelled, bolting from my chair and pointing at Yukine. "I'm hers! I'm Yukine's fiancé! I'm not Tomoyo's or Kotomi-chan's or Furukawa's…or even Fujibayashi's or Kyou's!" My stomach lurched as I counted them in my head. "My god…"

"That's quite the list," Haruka remarked.

I stumbled backward, my heel catching on the leg of my chair, and I fell to the floor, landing on my butt. "Goddammit!" I clutched at my head. "Is the whole school in love with me or something?!"

"Tomoya!" A moment later I felt arms wrap around my shoulders. "It's okay, it's okay," I heard Yukine say in a soothing tone. "It's not your fault…"

"I wish I'd never gone to the library…" I moaned. "I wish I'd never followed Sunohara to all his stupid challenges, I wish…" I reached up and found one of Yukine's hands and gripped it like a lifeline. "I wish I'd just gone to the Reference Room and met you…"

"T-Tomoya…" I could hear the tears in her voice. "Tomoya…"

"Well," I heard Rentarou say, "if I ever had any doubts about your level of commitment, you just blew them away." I heard the scraping of a chair against the floor, and his face appeared on my periphery a moment later. "But son…all those experiences helped make you who you are. If you hadn't met Ichinose again, she might not have had the chance to do great things through FLAG. If you hadn't followed your friend to these…challenges…you might never have gotten the training you needed to rescue Yukine."

I blinked. "Yeah, that's true."

"You just wish you could stop hurting, yourself and others, right?" Haruka had joined her husband, kneeling next to me as well. She reached out and smoothed my hair. "You're such a kind boy, Tomoya; are you sure you have to wait until June to marry our daughter?"

I chuckled as I wiped away an errant tear. "Yeah, I'm afraid so; kindness alone won't put food on the table." I looked up and laid a hand on Yukine's teary cheek.

"If that's the case," Rentarou said softly, "we'll wait, then."


	41. It's Tough Being 'The Man

**Chapter Forty-One: It's Tough Being 'The Man'**

"Phew, that sounds like a tough situation," Michael said as he leaned forward in his chair across from Yukine and me. "The younger me would have loved to have your problem."

"It's not so fun when you're in the middle of it," I countered. "I mean, can you imagine what it's like to find out…this kind of thing…all of a sudden?"

"Yeah…like I said, it sounds like a tough situation," Michael replied sympathetically as he rubbed his hands together. "From what I know of you, hurting these girls is really eating you up, isn't it?"

"It sure is," I said. "Yukine and I have talked about it a few times; I understand that it's not my fault or anything, but I still wish I could do something."

"You seemed to handle the situation with Ichinose really well," he said. "Sure, she was sad afterward, but it could have gone a lot worse, believe me."

"That's because Tomoya has a kind heart," Yukine said as she linked her fingers with mine. "He cares about others so much that it hurts him almost as much as it hurts them."

"I don't doubt it," Michael replied. "That's one reason I think we made a good choice in making you KITT's partner." He sighed heavily. "Look, kiddo; there's not much I can tell you that would help. Her dad says let 'em down gently, and I'd go with that. If they see that it hurts you to know that you're hurting them, then everything'll be all right."

"I believe in you, Tomoya," Yukine said while giving my hand a squeeze, which I returned.

"So, are we good here? Can I change the subject?"

I waved my free hand. "Yeah, boss; sorry about the drama."

"Eh, don't worry about it; it's part of what they pay me for and, honestly, I enjoy it." He pulled up a nearby table holding a laptop. "Got some info on your new best friend, Mr. Butler."

"Cool," I said, shaking off some of the previous somber mood. "What'cha got?"

He gave me a devious smile. "Well, he's supposed to be flying in on Sunday to meet up with the board on Monday…if KITT's information is correct."

" _Which, of course, it is."_ KITT said, sounding a little defensive.

I smiled at my partner's reaction. "May I assume that we know where he'll be staying, his check-in time, and other stuff?"

"You bet." Michael turned the laptop around, allowing me to see what was, effectively, Mr. Butler's itinerary. "Fresh off the network!"

"I like the smell of fresh info!" I exclaimed, pretending to sniff the laptop before leaning forward to seriously examine the information.

"You're so funny," I heard Yukine say, along with another squeeze of my hand.

"He's supposed to fly in Sunday morning…fly out Monday evening…" I leaned back in my chair. "That does give me a lot of time, but I'll skip school on Monday if I have to."

"No, you won't," Michael said. "I've seen your records; you miss too many more classes and you won't be able to graduate."

I sighed. "Then I guess I'll just have to get it done on Sunday, huh?"

He clapped me on the side of my arm. "That's the spirit, kiddo."

* * *

"This sucks," I said as I flopped onto my cot in our room. "If I hadn't been such a loser before, I could afford the time."

Yukine knelt down to take my hands as she gently smiled into my face. "I don't think Michael-sama would let you go even if your record was spotless."

I snorted a chuckle. "You're probably right. Still, a cushion would have been nice."

"You'll be saving the world soon enough," she said, and I could see the flame starting to kindle in her eyes. "You'll go out, help people, stop those who are hurting others…" her face started inching toward mine. "…come home to me, we'll eat dinner together, and-"

"We'd better stop before we burst into flame," I said, gently pushing her away. "We're already playing with fire just being in here together."

"You're right," she said, though the fire in her eyes remained. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, and when they opened again the flame had disappeared. "What can I say? I feel like a real woman when you're around."

I carefully got up from the cot and helped her to her feet. "Well, maybe we'd better take this 'real woman' back home for now; KITT's probably waiting for us."

"Ooohhhhh, I don't want to go yet," she protested as she snuggled into my chest.

"Thanks," I said, wrapping my arms around her. "But I don't want to risk getting in trouble with your parents, and I don't think you do, either."

She shook her head, rubbing her dainty nose against me. "I don't." She pulled away to look me in the face. "Thank you for being so strong."

"What do you mean?"

"You're strong enough to keep us from doing naughty things," she confessed, her face turning nearly scarlet. "For instance, I really, really want you to-"

"WHOA! Stop right there!" I interrupted, holding up a hand. "Let's not tempt the man here, okay?"

She ducked her head self-consciously as her blush started to spread. "Sorry."

"It makes me really happy that you want to do…stuff with me – at least, if I understand you right – but let's not cause ourselves unnecessary problems."

"Okay."

I drew her into my arms again and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry; was I too rough?"

I felt her flinch, and realized that I may have used a poor choice of words. "Maybe a little, but I deserved it."

Rather than argue the point, I simply gave her another squeeze before releasing her to take her hand. "Let's go, milady."

* * *

" _Tomoya, you seem anxious; are you looking forward to meeting with Mr. Butler?"_

"Huh?" KITT's words snapped me out of my thoughts. "Oh…yeah, but that's not what I was thinking about."

" _May I ask what you_ _were_ _thinking about?"_

I quickly glanced over at my fiancée, who still retained some of her earlier blush. "Just…about the future. And the past, I guess."

" _Are you referring to regret?"_

"Not really, just…" I glanced over at Yukine again. "I guess I am. I wish my happiness didn't have to hurt others."

" _Like Sakagami and Ichinose?"_

"Yeah." I licked my lips. "Like, maybe if I realized it sooner I could have said something and it might not have hurt so much."

"Tomoya…" I felt a touch on my shoulder and glanced again to see Yukine with a sympathetic smile.

" _Were it anyone else, I would suspect you of arrogance,"_ KITT said. _"However, I am not unaware of your…unique circumstances."_

I couldn't help but smile. "Any advice?"

Silence.

"KITT?"

" _I've consulted my databanks as well as linked to every known counseling and advice website, but I cannot come up with anything you have not already been told."_

"So I'm doing everything I can, huh?"

" _Indeed. And, based on what I know of your character, it will be more than sufficient for the task."_


	42. Infiltration

**Chapter Forty-Two: Infiltration**

This was it – today could make or break the mission.

After Butler-san had checked in and settled in for the night, I would make my way up to his room, disabling any guards that I might need to, and confront him. All the evidence pointed to him being at least a middleman, if not the ringleader of the operation. Regardless of his position, he would tell me where Nagano's family was being held, and then he would be arrested.

I sat in one of the chairs in the lounge – I used to call it the 'apartment' or 'sitting area' until Bonnie told me what they called it – with my eyes closed and my hands clasped. In my mind's eye, I went through many possible scenarios; disabling guards, apprehending Butler-san…even what I would say to the receptionists. I knew that I couldn't consider every possibility, but I at least wanted a basic mission philosophy.

"You look calm." I opened my eyes and looked up to see Tomoyo standing before me, Yukine and Kotomi with her. "You ready for tonight?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied. "I'm nervous as hell, but I'm going to do it." I looked to Kotomi. "How's KITT? Is he ready?"

KITT's technician nodded. "I have checked and rechecked his systems under Bonnie-san's tutelage, and he is ready."

"How about you?" Tomoyo asked, nearly mirroring her earlier question. "We can spar for a bit before you leave, if that'll help."

"Thanks, but I'd better not," I said. "I don't want an accident keeping me from doing this."

Tomoyo nodded once but said nothing.

"Tomoya-kun; I have installed two new systems in KITT that may help you," Kotomi said, knotting her fingers. "I can show them to you, if you wish."

"I'll contact you on the way," I said. "Right now, I'm working on getting mentally prepared."

"Okay." With that, Kotomi moved off in KITT's direction.

Tomoyo shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. "Well…maybe I should leave you two alone," she said, and headed toward the hallway to the sleeping quarters.

That left Yukine, who gazed at me before quickly moving to me, settling in my lap and resting her head on my shoulder. "I'm scared, Tomoya."

I said nothing, but wrapped my arms around her tightly and simply held her. Truth was, I was scared, too.

* * *

"You got this, kiddo," were Michael's last words before closing KITT's door; with that, the mission had officially begun.

We were quiet as we backed down the ramp and out of the Bishop. We were quiet as we left the airport and made our way to the highway. We were even quiet when KITT opened the panel so I could activate his Super Pursuit mode.

As we traveled at high speed, KITT finally spoke: _"Are you okay, Tomoya? For being your first official mission, you're very calm; I would expect an elevated heart rate and heightened perspiration by now."_

"I'm fine, KITT, thank you. I'm just focused on what I need to do." I thought for a moment, then: "Please stop reporting on my medical condition for the time being; it's distracting."

" _Very well."_ Fortunately, he didn't sound offended by my request. _"May I show you the improvements that Ichinose-san has installed?"_

"Sure, go ahead-wait, I think Kotomi-chan wanted to tell me about them. Would you call her, please?"

Before long, an unusually excited Kotomi appeared on the monitor; she looked cute in her lab coat. _"Tomoya-kun! Are you ready to hear about the new systems?"_

"Sure, go ahead."

KITT took over driving so I could focus on the monitor. He moved Kotomi to the corner, showing her as a window-in-window, overlapping a blueprint of himself. _"The first improvement I installed is the Variable Frequency Energy Projection System. It is designed to prevent heavy ordinance from coming into contact with KITT. You already know that he is bulletproof, but the shock from missile- and explosive-based weaponry can damage his internal systems. This system should neutralize most, if not all, missile-based threats."_

"Shields…" I said. "Nice."

" _The other improvement is the Holographic Projector,"_ Kotomi continued _. "It is an improvement to his existing system that will allow him to project realistic-looking three-dimensional projections of almost anything in his database."_

" _Of course, these projections have no substance,"_ KITT added," _and are not highly detailed at present, but they could be used as a diversion or even a surprise tactic."_

"Sounds good," I said. "I could see some possible uses for that for this mission."

The blueprint disappeared, centering Kotomi again. _"I hope you find these improvements useful."_ She fidgeted slightly, her cheeks coloring. _"P-Please come home safely,"_ she said, and then her image abruptly winked out.

" _She is a kind and pleasant girl,"_ KITT observed. _"Intelligent, too; a major plus in my book."_

"She sure is," I remarked. "I'm glad she's on our side."

* * *

Entry to the hotel was easy enough; it was a public place, after all. Upon entry, I made note of as many exit doors as I could as I made my way to the stairs. I avoided the elevator because I wanted to be seen by as few people as possible; I also didn't want my mission jinxed by other people getting on the elevator and pressing buttons, potentially sending me all over the place. Besides, I kinda enjoyed the cardio.

I jogged up the stairs at a steady pace and headed for the fifth floor. Thanks to KITT's ability to hack into computers, we were able to find out that our target was staying in Room 518. Upon reaching the fifth floor, I exited the stairwell and walked down the hall at a leisurely pace – I didn't want to stand out, after all.

I gave a couple of tugs on each sleeve to get them combat-ready as I approached 518. Unsurprisingly, there was a guard outside the door, leaning against the wall and smoking a cigarette in clear violation of hotel policy.

"Excuse me," I said as I approached him. "I have an appointment with Butler-san."

"No, you don't," he said in incredibly broken Japanese as he laid a hand on my shoulder.

* * *

The unconscious guard made a nice cushion for my knees as I worked the lockpick. The floor's carpeting looked pretty thin, and I didn't know how long it would take for me to pick the lock, so the extra padding was welcome. I'd had plenty of practice picking locks under Michael's tutelage, but this was my first time trying it during a mission.

The lock finally clicked, and I quietly and carefully swung the door open into the darkened room just enough for me to step inside.

I poked my head around the end of the door, and my sixth sense-

I suddenly rolled sideways, away from the door, my body having moved on its own. I heard a *WHACK* on the floor where I had just been, and I spun to face my attacker. "Butler-san?"

"Nice dodge, young man." The lights flicked on, and I could see an older man by the light switch, resting a walking stick on his shoulder. "Do you have an appointment?"


	43. Confrontation

**Chapter Forty-Three: Confrontation**

"That depends," I replied, still in a crouched position. "Are you David Butler?"

"I am," he said. "But I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage."

"Sorry?"

He sighed melodramatically. "You know my name, but I don't know yours; what is your name?"

"Tomoya."

He gestured as though expecting more. "Well? Do you have a last name?"

I narrowed my eyes at him with a sly smile. "Not right now."

"I see." He tapped his cane against his shoulder as he paced in front of the door. "Well, what do you need from me?"

"Just the location of the Nagano family." I said as I rose to my feet. "Tell me where they are and I'm out of your hair."

"I have other hair-care products," he said, knocking on a side door. As expected, several men exited from that room, each of them sizing me up. "Rough him up just a little," he told them. "I want him for some information."

"Then how about an exchange?" I suggested. "You come with me and talk to my boss, and we'll answer as many of your questions as we can."

"And how do I know you won't turn me over to the authorities?" he asked.

"Why would I?" I replied with another sly smile. "Have you done something wrong?"

He sputtered, however briefly. "Get him," he finally ordered as he exited the room.

"All right, Sum Yung Guy," one of them said as he approached me. "Let's make this quick."

He grabbed me by my collar, and the rest of the world fell away; the only things in existence were my five opponents.

I grabbed his wrist and, twisting slightly, executed a downward stomp, raking the edge of my foot against his shin. As he reflexively doubled over, I reversed my leg's course, driving my knee into his chin. He crumpled to the floor, lowered gently by my hold on his wrist. One down.

"Sorry, gentlemen," I said to the others as I set myself up in a combat stance. "I'm a bit of a germaphobe and I don't know where those hands have been."

As one, they looked at their fallen comrade, then back at me. I knew that, at most, they'd only be able to attack me two at a time due to the size of the room. Any more, and they'd just get in each other's way. Of course, if two of them attacked me, I could still put them in each other's way, but…

Two of them approached me with fists raised, and I sighed; Boxing? Really? Part of me had been hoping for more of a challenge. After all, didn't Japan have a reputation for being full of martial artists? "Guys, we really don't have to do this…"

One of them threw a feint, which I safely ignored, then spun as he followed through, putting my back to his front as his fist passed over my shoulder, and I put an elbow in his ribs, causing him to stagger sideways into his partner. I then quickly lashed out with a foot to the chest, sending both men into the wall and sliding to the floor. Not unconscious, but it bought me some time.

My head exploded in pain, and I quickly realized that one of the others must have sucker-punched me. "That wasn't quite fair," I grunted as I managed to duck under his follow-up and jab him in the stomach. "You're already four-against-one; how much of an advantage do you need?"

"Sorry, kid; just doing our job," Suckerpunch said as he recovered.

"Sure, I understand," I replied. "Then you won't think that I'm being unfair if I 'do my job'?"

His eyes widened. "Wh-What?"

I could feel peace settling over me as I lowered into my combat position. Then I started to move…

* * *

I sighed at the sight of five unconscious men strewn around the room. "So sloppy," I complained as I worked on catching my breath. "I could have at least knocked them out in a pile."

" _Are you all right, Tomoya?"_ KITT's voice came from my watch.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied. "Got decked once, but…too easy; kind of a shame, really. Butler-san escaped while I was busy, though. Any idea where he is?"

" _According to the hotel's cameras, he's on his way to the garage. Pity; I seem to have stalled behind his car."_

I chuckled lightly. "Thanks, KITT; good thinking. I'll be down in a minute or two."

I hurried down the stairs; if Butler took the elevator like I figured he would, I'd still be able to get to the garage before him.

As I descended, an idea came to mind. "Hey, KITT? Can you override the lock on his car?"

" _Of course."_

I paused on the stairs to catch my breath. "Unblock his car and let him get in, then jam his locks and block him in again."

" _Good thinking, Tomoya. I'll get on it right away."_

"Thanks, buddy." I smiled as I continued my descent at a more leisurely pace.

* * *

I studied Butler as he glared at me through the driver's side window of his car. KITT had worked pretty efficiently; not only had he overridden the locks and blocked him in, he had also micro-locked his brakes, overridden the power window controls and somehow even neutralized the starter.

David Butler was a prisoner in his own car.

"Very nice, KITT," I said to my partner. "You went above-and-beyond."

" _I thought you might approve."_

"Very much so," I said, giving him a thumbs-up. "Thanks."

" _You're quite welcome, young man."_

I gestured to our glaring guest. "Pop his window open a little, please; let's give him some fresh air." Instantly the window slid down just enough to let air in and sound out. "Hello again, Butler-san; feeling more cooperative now?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

"Fine with me," I said coolly. "The police are on their way anyway, and I'm willing to let them deal with you. After all, I have enough evidence to see you locked up for a very long time." I started counting off on my fingers. "Kidnapping, extortion…am I forgetting anything, KITT?"

Butler's eyes widened as he heard the voice came from my watch. _"That would be the entire list, actually; but it would be enough to see him behind bars for quite a long time."_

"So there you have it," I said, crossing my arms. "You work with my boss, we work with the authorities, you spend less time in prison. Plus you have the international aspect of it…that knowledge is outside my pay grade, I think."

I enjoyed watching him sweat for a minute; he was responsible for Yukine's kidnapping, after all. "L-Look, kid…I have access to money. Tell you what; I'll wire it to you, then you let me go. How's that?"

I rested my chin on my hand as I examined Butler. Finally I said, "KITT, lower his window some more, please."

"Thank God," he said as the window came down.

POW!

He sat up, rubbing at the spot where I'd punched him. "What the hell was that for?"

"Put the window back up, KITT." Once there was a sliver of an opening again I said, "I don't want your money. Your illegal actions hurt a lot of people, Butler-san. While part of me would prefer to pound you into paste, my sense of ethics will not allow it. I am now out of patience, though."

" _Local law enforcement is approximately five minutes away, Tomoya."_

"You hear that, Butler-san? You have a choice; deal with me, or deal with the police."

"I-I can't!" he yelled. "They'll kill me! They'll kill my daughter!"

"Your family's been kidnapped, too?" This was starting to get ridiculous.

"No, no!" he exclaimed. "My daughter lives with my ex-wife!"

"They might kill you anyway, just to protect themselves," I countered. "You've been in here long enough to tell me everything." I didn't know who 'they' were, but I didn't care at the moment. "I can protect you. I can protect your ex-wife and your daughter." I crossed my arms again. "You know the police can't guarantee that."

He stared at the steering wheel of his car for what seemed like an eternity. I remained silent; whatever he was going through looked agonizing enough, if his expression was any indication.

Finally, he hung his head. "Fine…I'll come peacefully." He held his hands out as though to accept handcuffs. "I don't care if I die, just…protect my daughter."


	44. Justice

**Chapter Forty-Four: Justice**

"Let's show ourselves in, shall we?" I said.

" _Let's."_

And with that, KITT crashed through the main gates to Eugene Matteson's mansion. Thanks to Butler's cooperation, we were able to get a treasure trove of evidence proving Matteson was the member of the board in charge of the operation. We had come to America and found his mansion, where KITT and I would apprehend him, and he would go to prison for his crimes. Simple as that.

A swarm of guards peppered us with machine gun fire, but KITT's Molecular Bonded Shell deflected their rounds.

"How many more guards?" I asked my partner as we weaved around the attacking guards.

" _There are five still en route, all armed."_

"We'd better wait for them to join the party, then."

" _A prudent course of action."_

I smiled at the praise as I marveled again at how sunny it could be in the middle of winter. "California's sure a long way from Japan," I mused.

" _I fail to see what that has to do with our mission."_

"Sorry," I said. "My mind wandered."

" _All of the guards have arrived and are within range, Tomoya."_

"Okay!" I steered us toward the mansion's front door, skidding to a stop with the driver's side door facing it. "Flash 'em, KITT!" I yelled as I covered my eyes.

Covering my eyes was unnecessary, but I didn't want to take any chances as strategically placed strips on KITT's body flashed along with a dull boom, dropping all the guards instantly.

"I'd still like to see that sometime!" I exclaimed as I threw open the door.

" _No, you wouldn't,"_ KITT commented dryly. _"Move quickly, young man; they'll be up before long."_

"Got it," I said, patting his roof. "Wish me luck."

* * *

" _He's on the second floor of the building, in the northeast room,"_ KITT told me as he projected a 3-D map of the mansion from my watch; a pulsing red dot showed me my target's current location.

"Got it," I said. "If I don't make it back, tell Yukine that I love her, okay?"

" _You told her enough times prior to our departure, and I have no doubt that you will be able to tell her again."_

"Thanks," I said, chuckling softly. "Well, please buzz me if anything changes."

" _Understood."_

I knew there were no guards in the mansion since KITT was keeping them busy out front, but I still kept alert as I made my way through the building.

As I approached the door to the northeast room I paused and put on the special gloves that Kotomi had given me. They fit perfectly and had a neat silver sheen to the palms. "I hope these work…" I muttered to myself. "Wait, what am I saying; this is Kotomi we're talking about." I shook my head as I carefully opened the door.

I stepped into the large room to find Matteson, with a handgun already trained on me. "*So you're the one who's been interfering with my business,*" he growled in English as he stepped closer; he was close enough to shoot me without missing, but far enough away that I wouldn't be able to stop him in time. "*This makes it easy; I just kill you, then get back to work.*" With that, he pulled the trigger.

Being shot in the chest hurt like hell, and the shock forced me to the ground. Fortunately, the 'armor' that Kotomi had developed and woven into my uniform prevented the round from penetrating my body, but it still stung terribly. I squeezed my eyes shut as I groaned and rolled onto my back, clapping my hands together.

The moment I heard him cry out I opened my eyes to see him staggering, his free arm held over his eyes. I quickly got to my feet and disarmed him before knocking him unconscious.

"KITT," I gasped into my watch, "Get us out of here, please."

" _Are you all r-"_

"I'm fine, buddy," I said; I'd apologize later for interrupting him. "Just get in here, please; I'm not up to moving much right now." I then slid over to a nearby wall with Matteson's unconscious form and waited.

It wasn't long before I heard a WHOOSH, and KITT crashed through the second-story room's main window, passenger-side door right in front of me. _"Hurry, Tomoya; the guards are already en route,"_ he said, opening both doors.

I forced myself to my feet and shoved Matteson into the passenger's seat; I then quickly slid across KITT's hood, grabbing the top of the door to swing myself into the driver's seat. "GO!" I ordered before collapsing into my seat.

KITT activated his Turbo Boost rockets to give us the burst of speed needed to break through the exterior wall ahead of us. As we descended, small thrusters fired to cushion our landing. The moment we touched the ground, KITT activated his Turbo Boost again to assist in acceleration.

The guards had one more trick up their sleeve, in the form of a man-packed rocket launcher. _"Shall I activate the shields, Tomoya?"_

"Be my guest," I gasped, having recovered a bit from being shot. I then marveled at the slight blue distortion that appeared before us as we approached the main gate again.

The guard fired, and the rocket exploded against Kotomi's creation. "You okay, KITT?"

A pause, then: _"My opinion of your friend has gone up exponentially, which was high enough to begin with; my systems are undamaged."_

I chuckled in spite of the pain in my chest. "Let's go home, buddy," I said, eyeing our prisoner. "Our friend's got a date with justice."

* * *

"TOMOYA-KUN!" I heard Kotomi cry out, and I'd barely gotten out of the car before she latched onto me. "KITT told me you had been shot! Are you okay?! Did my armor protect you?!" she asked as she started checking me all over.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I said, carefully detaching her from my uniform. "Your weave worked perfectly. Stung like hell, but I'm okay. The Flash Gloves worked, too."

Kotomi nodded, her hands folded to her chest. She respected my space for about two seconds longer before throwing her arms around me, sobbing. "I was so scared!" she blubbered. "If it had not worked, then you…you…"

As she continued to cry, I looked over to see Tomoyo standing there with her arms crossed. "A little help, please?" I asked, indicating the hysterical technician.

Tomoyo's silver hair waved as she shook her head. "N-Not this time," she replied, and it was then that I noticed that her lower lip was quivering. "I'm next."

Poor Yukine came in the room with Michael and Bonnie to find my combat trainer as well as KITT's newest technician latched onto me, both crying. I gave my fiancée an apologetic look, to which she simply smiled kindly.

* * *

"I didn't know you had come back until I heard all the noise," Yukine said as she placed the coffee before me. "I wish I had been there to greet you first."

"I'm really sorry," I said, apologizing for the umpteenth time. "I really didn't know they'd do that."

"I understand," she said yet again, reaching out to place her hand on my chest. "I know you didn't-"

"AH!" I cried out as her palm settled on me. I quickly pulled up my uniform top to find a sizable bruise, and I briefly wondered how both Kotomi and Tomoyo had managed to miss it.

"Tomoya!" Yukine cried. "What happened?"

"I was shot," I grunted, wincing as I gently probed the wound with my fingertips. "The armor mesh Kotomi-chan made protected me from penetration, but…"

"So…that's why…they were…" she said, reaching out to me again with trembling hands. "You could've been-"

"But I wasn't," I said, taking her hands in mine and kissing each of them in turn. "I'm back, safe and sound, thanks to all of you."

"But I don't do anything!" she protested, tears pooling in her eyes. "Sakagami-san trains you for fighting, Ichinose-senpai makes stuff for you and KITT, but I-"

"You are what motivates me to come home safely," I interrupted. "I come home for you, Yukine."

She stared at me for several seconds with eyes wide. Then her lower lip began to tremble as her chest started heaving. "T-Tomoya…Tomoya, my love…"

I moved quickly to catch her as she fell into me, crying, and I ignored the pain from my bruise as I stroked her back and repeatedly kissed the top of her head.


	45. Graduation

**Chapter Forty-Five: Graduation**

"Congratulations!"

I slumped down in my graduation seat and threw an arm over my eyes. "I am so glad that's done…"

"Tomoya!" I uncovered my eyes and looked to see the twins hurrying my way, Kyou leading her sister through the crowd of people.

I stood as they approached, straightening my jacket. "Hey girls; what's up?"

Kyou dragged her sister up before throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Mom and Dad are throwing a graduation party for us tomorrow, and Ryou was wondering if you wanted to join us."

"O-Onee-chan!"

I furrowed my brow; I had figured that they would not want to be around me because of my relationship with Yukine. Of course they'd had enough time to deal with their emotions regarding me, but still… "Are you sure you want me there?"

"Why not?" Kyou said, leaning more heavily on Ryou. "The more, the merrier…and we're friends, aren't we?"

"Well sure," I said, a little confused and concerned. "Let me talk with Yu-"

"Tomoya-kun!" I heard Kotomi's happy voice call out and, a few seconds later, she joined our little group. "Congratulations!"

"You too," I said with a smile. "Glad to be getting out of here?"

"Yes and no," she replied. "I will miss the library, but I am looking forward to working with you and KITT-"

"GAH!" I yelled, waving my hands.

I could swear that Kotomi's pigtails shot straight up as she covered her mouth. "Oh! I am not supposed to talk about that!"

"About what?" Fujibayashi asked.

"Her job," I replied, giving Kotomi a meaningful look. "High-tech but, like she said, she's not supposed to talk about it."

"Not supposed to talk about it, huh?" Kyou said with a catlike grin. "Sounds kinda cloak-and-dagger superspy-type stuff. What do you think, Ryou?"

"Eep!" Kotomi squeaked, her hands still over her mouth.

"I…wouldn't know anything about that," Fujibayashi admitted with an embarrassed chuckle. "Ah, there's Sakagami-san; I-I wonder why she's heading this way?"

I turned to see Tomoyo walking up to us with a big smile, and I realized that I hadn't seen a smile on her face in a long time. "Congratulations, you guys," she greeted.

"Thanks," I replied, then turned back to Kyou. "If Yukine's game, I'll go."

"To what?" Kotomi asked.

I jerked a thumb in Kyou's direction. "They're having a graduation party of some kind, and they invited me just before you showed up."

"Ohhhhhh…" Kotomi clapped her hands, more than a little excited. "M-May I come, too?"

"O-Of course!" Kyou replied.

Kotomi whirled on Tomoyo, who took a step back in surprise. "You can come, too!"

My silver-haired friend glanced around nervously. "But I'm not a graduate…"

"But you are a friend!" Kotomi declared, causing Tomoyo and I to exchange a look of surprise. "Oh, please?" She spun back to Kyou, and I had to grab her to keep her from falling over. "May Sakagami-chan come, too?"

Kyou stared at the Genius Girl with wide eyes. "I-I guess…"

"If money's the problem, Kyou, I can take care of it," I told her. I had been saving my pay from the Foundation for a ring for Yukine, but I figured that I could splurge a little for my friends.

"It's okay," Fujibayashi replied. "Like we said, Mom and Dad are hosting a party for us, and they said we could invite as many friends as we wanted."

As she spoke I felt a gentle pressure on my arm and the rest of the world faded away as I looked down into Yukine's gentle smile. "Hey there, beautiful," I greeted her with a smile.

"Hey," she said quietly with a smile of her own.

"Wanna go to a party? The Fujibayashis are having one tomorrow, and I just got invited. I told them I'd have to check with you, first."

"I'd love to, if they'll have me."

"Are you parents doing anything special?"

She shook her head. "Not 'til tonight."

I reentered the real world as I turned back to Kyou. "Is it fine if Yukine comes? And when did you say this party was?"

Kyou didn't respond, her gaze fixed on my fiancée, so Fujibayashi answered in her stead. "Tomorrow morning at 11:30. And we'd love to have her there. Like Onee-chan said: the more, the merrier."

* * *

The Knights and Kotomi joined us at Yukine's place for dinner that night. Kotomi had been invited since…well, she didn't have any family to celebrate with.

"Congratulations, Tomoya, Kotomi-chan," Michael said as he raised his glass of beer. "Twelve years knocked out, and now you get to join the adult world."

"Thanks," I said with a chuckle. "I'm glad to be done with that."

"Are you excited to work for FLAG full-time now?" Rentarou asked.

I flicked a glance and a grin toward Michael before answering. "Yes and no. I've had a taste of what it's like, but I know that there'll be more to it than what I've experienced."

"You keep doing what you've been doing, and you'll be fine, kiddo," Michael said, giving me a wink before shifting his gaze to Kotomi. "How about you, cutie?"

Kotomi blushed fiercely as she stared down at her plate. "I am…very much looking forward to working with Tomoya-kun…and KITT." To my surprise, she looked up and fixed Michael with her gaze. "I want to help Tomoya-kun do good things for others."

"Good for you, sweetheart," Haruka said with obvious affection.

After a delicious dinner, I waved at Michael as the others talked. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" I whispered.

"Sure, kiddo." He turned to address the rest of the group. "Tomoya and I are gonna step outside for a minute, if that's all right."

"Go right ahead," Haruka said with a smile.

We stepped out onto the back patio and Michael leaned against the wall of the house. "What's up, kiddo?"

I rubbed at the back of my neck. "I've been meaning to ask you about this for a while, but…" I dropped my arm. "It might be too personal."

"Hit me," he said. "I'll let you know."

I sighed heavily. "I get the impression that you and Bonnie…I'm not sure what I'm seeing…"

"We've been married for about ten years, if that's what you're asking about."

"No, that's not it." I licked my lips. "I almost get the impression that you haven't always gotten along. It's like, every once in a while you'll say something that sounds like you regret something you've said or done to her."

It was his turn to sigh heavily. "Yeah, that is kinda personal, but I get why you'd ask." He gently smacked the palm of one hand with the heel of the other a couple of times. "Truth is, kiddo, I was a bit of a playboy when I was younger."

"Playboy?"

"My missions usually involved a pretty girl, and we'd get along a little too well; I'd usually end up kissing her at some point. Well, Bonnie understandably didn't take too well to my antics, and gave me a lot of business about it."

"You seem to get along fine now."

"Yeah, we do…" he replied as he tapped the ground with his toe.

"What changed things?"

"Well, first off, I think I changed after…well, after Stevie died."

"Stevie?"

The story that Michael told almost had me in tears. Apparently he had a girlfriend named Stephanie Mason before he became a crime fighter, and after meeting up with her a second time after joining the Foundation, he decided to retire from FLAG to spend his time with her. Unfortunately, she was killed during the wedding ceremony, leaving him a widower after less than one day of marriage.

"That…really sucks, boss," I said, swallowing a lump. "I'm really sorry. I can't even imagine…"

"It's okay, kiddo," he said softly. "It was a long time ago."

"It sounds like it still hurts, though," I said just as softly.

"Not as much as it used to, but yeah…" he nodded with his lips pursed. "Anyway, I stopped being as much of a ladies' man after that, and Bonnie was a huge help; even after I came back to FLAG I was still a bit of a mess, and she helped me pull through." He snorted. "We really were crazy about each other early on, but I was a playboy waiting for Stevie, and she was disgusted with me being a playboy waiting for Stevie." He gestured back into the house. "Between Yukine, Ichinose, and Sakagami, you have it a lot better than I did."

"I consider myself pretty lucky," I agreed. "Thanks for telling me all this."

"You're welcome," he said. "Kinda felt good talking about it, anyway." He gestured to the house again. "Let's head back in; all this sugar is making me a little nauseous."

I chuckled at his expression. "Sure thing, boss."


	46. Party Time!

**Chapter Forty-Six: Party Time!**

The Fujibayashis' house was huge, and when I found out that their dad worked for a hospital it all made sense.

As Yukine and I followed Fujibayashi through the fence into the backyard I marveled at the number of people who were already there. "Looks like half the school is here," I said with a grin.

"Okazaki-kun…" Fujibayashi giggled. "Our yard can't hold that many people."

"Oh, I'm sure," I said. "It just seems like a lot." Out of the corner of my eye I saw a rather large man preparing the barbecue. He wasn't fat by any stretch of the imagination; he was built more like a bodybuilder. "Is that your dad?" I asked, indicating the gentleman.

She looked in the direction I was pointing. "Yes, that's my dad," she answered. "Do you want me to introduce you to him?"

"Yes, please," I replied. "I'd like to help him with the barbecuing, if he'll let me." I turned to my fiancée. "Do you mind?"

"I don't mind," she replied, pointing toward Kotomi and Tomoyo. "I can talk with them while you help."

"Cool." I turned back to Fujibayashi. "Would he let me help?"

She giggled. "I think he'd enjoy the company, if nothing else," she said, and changed direction to lead me to him. "Dad? This is Okazaki Tomoya; he was in my homeroom class last year."

He put down the spatula he'd been using to scrape the grill and extended a hand. "Fujibayashi Ryu; nice you meet you, Okazaki-san."

My eyes narrowed as I accepted the handshake. Something about him… "Sir, have we met before? You seem…familiar."

He appeared to size me up. "No, I don't think so; I'm pretty sure I'd remember somebody as sharply dressed as you," he said, finishing with a hearty laugh.

"Dad, Okazaki-kun was hoping to help you with the barbecue."

"Is that so?" He sized me up again. "I'm just about done with the grill here, so why don't you go inside and see if my wife has the patties ready?" He gestured to a nearby door. "Straight in, first right…can't miss it."

"Got it. I'll be right back."

After I retrieved the food (along with another spatula) from Ryu's wife Rinko, I headed back outside and set the patty platter on the counter; the twins were nearby, helping arrange the condiments. "Anything else?" I asked him.

"Now we get to cooking!" he exclaimed as he rubbed his hands together.

I smiled as I brought the platter closer to the grill.

"So," he asked as we laid the patties on the grill, "are you dating anyone? You're a fine-looking young man; I'm surprised that neither of my daughters have snapped you up!"

"Dad!" the twins protested in unison, both turning white.

"What?" he said, shrugging. "You've both spoken very highly of him, so I thought-"

A towel whapped him on the side of the head, and he quickly caught it before it could fall into the barbecue. He then folded it and put it on the counter, away from the fire. After that he waved toward the house, and I looked to see his wife standing in the doorway, hands on hips and disapproving look in place.

"Stop picking on my girls!" she scolded.

He grabbed at the side of his head. "Ah! My wife is such a brute!" he cried melodramatically. "You saw that, didn't you Okazaki?"

I raised my hands. "I'm not getting in the middle of that," I said with a chuckle.

He chuckled as well as we returned to our food preparation. "So…seeing anyone?" he asked with a wink.

"Well…" I was hoping that in all the silliness he would have forgotten his question. "I'm, uh…actually getting married in about a couple of weeks."

His smile faltered. "I see…well, congratulations!" I noticed that he glanced over at the twins as he said this, and I followed his gaze to see that they were moving more slowly.

"Sir?" I wanted to say this very carefully. "If my presence here is going to be a problem, then I'll leave." I took a deep breath. "I do understand the situation."

His expression fell serious, and he put the spatula down before leaning against the counter as he sighed. "It's not your fault, son," he said softly. "People make their choices, and they have to live with those choices. My daughters were too scared to say anything, for whatever reason, and they gave you no real reason to approach them, so…" He stuck out his hand for the second time. "No hard feelings, okay?"

"Understood," I said as I gripped his hand. "Thank you."

"So," he said, retrieving the spatula, "who is the lucky girl, anyway?"

"I don't know how lucky she is," I said as I waved my fiancée over, "but here she comes." I took hold of her hand when she drew close enough. "He was just asking about you," I explained to her. "Sir, this is Miyazawa Yukine. She's a second-well, I guess third-year now at my high school."

"Pleasure to meet you, young lady," he said, bowing slightly. "Fujibayashi Ryu; I'm Kyou's and Ryou's father."

"Pleased to meet you as well," she replied, releasing my hand to give a proper bow.

"Thanks, Yukine," I said. "You can head back to the others, if you want. I'm going to be helping out for a while longer."

"Okay." She smiled softly at me and, after giving me a peck on the cheek, hurried back to where Tomoyo and Kotomi waited along with a few of the other graduates.

I turned back to find Ryu's gaze leveled at me. "Is everything okay, sir?"

Still gazing at me, he startled me when he suddenly raised his voice. "Hamburgers!" he hollered as he broke into a smile. "Is anyone ready for hamburgers?"

Sunohara somehow appeared at the front of the line, which had me wondering where he had been up until then. After all, I didn't even see him at graduation; how did he find out about the party, anyway? I chalked it up as one of life's mysteries as I watched everyone start to line up.

"Do you want to get in line?" Yukine asked as she approached me again.

I shook my head. "I really should stay here and help Dad out," I replied. "It'd be cool if the three of you could get a table together with the twins…I mean, if you're okay with that."

"I'll see what I can do." She looked up at me from under her eyelashes, causing my heart to pound. "Please don't be long."

"Yes, ma'am," I croaked.

After everyone else had been served, Ryu and I got our food and searched for somewhere to sit. Fortunately it wasn't too difficult, as Rinko had been saving a spot for her husband, and Yukine had managed to corral my 'circle of friends' at one table; along with Tomoyo and Kotomi, Fujibayashi, Kyou, and Sunohara were also there.

"Right here!" Sunohara said, patting the empty chair between himself and Yukine. "Best friends, right here!"

"I never said we were friends," I said with an innocent smile as I sat down, and then I enjoyed watching him face-plant from his seat.

"You two get along so well," Yukine giggled as he climbed back into his chair.

"That's 'cause they're both idiots," Kyou quipped.

Yukine opened her mouth, but Fujibayashi beat her to it: "Onee-chan, he scored higher than either of us on the finals."

Kyou sputtered part of her burger onto her plate. "No way!"

I simply leaned back in my chair and grinned as Yukine giggled.

"NO WAY, OKAZAKI!" Sunohara echoed, only much louder; fortunately, he didn't have any food in his mouth or I probably would have ended up wearing it. "You didn't study or anything like that, did you?"

I exchanged knowing smiles with Yukine. "I…had a good tutor."

"So…" Kyou started, apparently having recovered. "We've joked about it in school, but what are everyone's plans now?" She leveled her gaze at Kotomi. "How about you, Genius Girl?"

My childhood friend was between bites, so she couldn't put off answering. "I…I…" She grabbed onto my sleeve. "Tomoya-kun, I…"

"S'okay," I said, patting her hand. To Kyou I said, "She'll be working with experimental technology in order to help others. Beyond that, she's really not allowed to talk about it."

"How do you know about this, then?" Kyou challenged.

"I helped her get the job."

Kyou gestured as though expecting more of an answer, but I just smiled. "Okay, then…" Since her focus was on me... "Well, then what about you?"

Fortunately, I had prepared an answer beforehand, just in case. "I'm going to be doing on-the-job training to become a detective." Similar to my answer about Kotomi's work, everything I said was true; I had just omitted the more sensitive aspects of the position.

"Wow…" Sunohara breathed. "That's…actually pretty cool. When did you decide to do that?"

I gave myself a moment to think. "I guess…the best way to explain it is that the opportunity just…presented itself," I answered, and I felt Yukine gently squeeze my hand under the table.

"Good for you, Okazaki-kun," Fujibayashi said with a smile. "I'll be going to nursing school starting in the summer…but I could attend your wedding if it's okay."

"Sure," I said as I received a nod from Yukine. "We'd love for all of you to come." I looked over to Kyou. "What are your plans now, Graduate?"

"I'm going to school to become a kindergarten teacher," she replied smoothly. "What do you think? Surprised?"

"Sort of," I replied. "I mean, I could see it; you're gentle yet tough enough to lead a group of kids."

She gave me an incredulous look. "Are you making fun of me?"

"No, not at all!" I said. "Even though you've given me crap, I've still seen how you care about others."

"T-Tomoya," she said, and it looked like I got through to her.

"And you," I said to Fujibayashi, "you have a tender heart, the kind that's perfect for caring for others."

"M-Me?!" Her incredulous expression nearly matched that of her sister's. "Th-Thank you."

"Hey, what about Nagisa-san?" Yukine asked. "Where is she? I don't see her."

"Her dad said she was sick," Kyou told us.

"But at least her attendance was high enough to graduate," Fujibayashi added.

"It's a shame she couldn't make it," Yukine said sadly.

"Hey, at least she doesn't have to repeat again," I said, trying to be encouraging.

"What do you mean?" Tomoyo asked. "Did she have to repeat a year or something?"

"Yeah," I replied. "She missed enough school last year – or the year prior, actually – that she got held back."

"Then it is good that she was able to graduate this time," Kotomi said. "I would have been sad had she not been able to graduate with us."

"Hey, what about me?" Sunohara whined. "Doesn't anybody want to know my plans after graduation?"

"Not really," Kyou and Tomoyo said, almost in unison.

"Seriously, guys?" Sunohara continued to whine.

"Okay, I'll bite," I said, feeling a little sorry for him. "What're you going to be doing?"

We watched as Sunohara worked himself up, only to suddenly hang his head. "I'm going home to look for work," he muttered.

We laughed so hard that the twins' mom had to ask us to settle down.


	47. An Eternal Vow

**Chapter Forty-Seven: An Eternal Vow**

I tugged on my collar as I waited at the front of the sanctuary for the music to start. Pastor Ashton stood nearby with a huge smile, bordering on goofy. He had thanked me many times for 'allowing me to officiate at your wedding'. On his other side stood Yukine's bridesmaids: Kotomi, Tomoyo, Bonnie, and one of Yukine's classmates, Nishina Rie.

I felt a gentle squeeze to my shoulder and turned to see the smiling face of my best man. "You got this, kiddo," Michael said.

The church was packed. Yukine and I had only planned for a few people, but apparently the Miyazawas were well-loved by the community, and when the church found out that the daughter of Rentarou and Haruka Miyazawa was getting married they invited themselves to the wedding. On the bright side, we wouldn't have to worry about food for the reception afterwards. Our only concern was that Yukine's maid-of-honor would freeze up with all the people around.

My nervousness spiked as the music began, and I saw the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.

Yukine appeared at the entrance to the sanctuary. Her white wedding dress had a brown trim to it along with some kind of brown 'paneling' to it, almost making her look like she had leaves dancing around her feet. The veil nearly completely hid her face from me, though I knew that I'd recognize those sleepy blue eyes anywhere. She carried a bouquet of flowers of many different colors, somehow enhancing her already overwhelming femininity.

She stopped a few feet from the altar and stood there, her bouquet shaking slightly.

"Who gives this woman away?" I heard Pastor Ashton ask.

I smiled as my soon-to-be father-in-law stood up and walked to her side to face us. "I am Miyazawa Rentarou, and it is my honor to give my daughter to Okazaki Tomoya." He then took her hand and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek before leading her up to us and giving her hand to me.

"Thanks, Dad," I whispered to him through the lump in my throat.

He gave me a gentle smile and a wink before turning and returning to his seat.

"These two have chosen to write their own vows," Pastor Ashton said to the audience. Looking to us he said, "Which of you will go first?"

The question was a formality since we had decided earlier, and Yukine pulled out a sheet of paper and gave me an awkward smile before starting to read. "When you first came into the Reference Room that day, I had no idea how important you would become to me. I enjoyed our times together, drinking coffee and…and laughing at Sunohara-san's antics." She paused to dab at her eyes. "When you kissed me the first time, I was surprised and didn't know what to think; that was my first kiss! But when…I'm sorry…" She dabbed at her eyes again, and Tomoyo rested her hand on my bride's back. "…when you rescued me from those evil men, I knew for sure that you were supposed to have my first kiss. No spells were needed; your heart was what told me you were the one." She took a deep breath and faced me squarely as she let the paper fall to the floor. "I want to be your wife and create a home with you. I want to support you in your job and provide delicious meals for when you get home. I want to h-have children w-with you and…and…and g-grow old with you," she finished, teary and trembling.

I could hear several women in the audience quietly crying.

"Thank you, Miyazawa-san, that was beautiful," Pastor Ashton said before turning to me. "Okazaki-san?"

I pulled out my sheet and glanced at it. The words looked nice, but they seemed so…dry, so I put the sheet back in my pocket. "Yukine, I can't tell you how glad I am that I decided to take a nap in the Reference Room that day." I paused with an eye-roll and an awkward grin as the audience chuckled. "I admit that at first I thought you were a strange girl who liked using spells from a book that somehow worked. While part of me wishes that I hadn't kissed you the first time like I did, another part of me is glad; I had no idea that being with you would be the start of an adventure greater than anything I could have imagined. When you were…taken…it felt like half of my heart had been ripped away and, when I got you back, it was like I'd found a part of myself again." I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. "I love you, Miyazawa Yukine. I want to be your husband and make a home with you. I want to provide for all of your needs and as many of your wants as I can. I want to give you as many children as you want, to love with all of your heart." I swallowed hard. "Thank you for falling in love with a delinquent like me."

My mouth fell open in wonder as she lost all composure and covered her face as she started to cry. "Tomoya…Oh my god…"

Pastor Ashton laid a comforting hand on her shoulder as he quietly addressed those in attendance: "If there is any reason that these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Aside from Yukine's quiet sobs, one could hear a pin drop in the sanctuary.

"Do you have the rings?" he asked, and I turned to accept the ring from Michael.

"Do you, Okazaki Tomoya-san, take Miyazawa Yukine-san, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death you do part?"

I smiled tenderly at my bride, tears slightly blurring my vision. "I do," I replied as I slipped the ring on her quivering finger.

"Do you, Miyazawa Yukine-san, take Okazaki Tomoya-san, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death you do part?"

She had to take a deep breath before she could respond. "I-I do," she managed through her tears as her shaking hands slipped the ring onto my finger.

Pastor Ashton smiled kindly at us, and then glanced at the crowd. "I think this is the quietest this church has ever been," he quipped, causing another wave of chuckles. He then grew serious. "Okazaki-san, Miyazawa-san, you have pledged yourselves to each other in the witness of these people and in the witness of God. Be firm in your commitment to one another; do not give evil a chance to take root in your marriage. Choose each day to love each other, for love is more than just a feeling; it is a choice, one that must be made daily. May He hold you both to account, and may those present also hold you to account in order to maintain and enrich this most holy of unions."

"By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He inclined his head toward me. "You may now kiss your bride," he finished with a fatherly smile.

I gazed in wonder as I lifted the veil, revealing beautiful, if somewhat puffy, ocean-blue eyes, flushed cheeks, a radiant smile and…we kissed.

Over the cheers we could barely make out Pastor Ashton's voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to introduce to you: Tomoya and Yukine Okazaki! "


	48. Lover and Beloved

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Lover and Beloved**

With my foot, I carefully pushed open the door to our new home then turned sideways to carry my giggling bride inside. "Welcome to the Okazaki household," I puffed.

Truth was, Yukine and I had both picked out our new home. It was a two-story, like her parents' home, only ours was in a 'natural' brown with white trim. "It's manly and girly at the same time," she had said. The five(!) bedrooms and a bathroom were on the top floor, with the kitchen, dining, and living room along with a smaller bathroom for guests on the lower floor. It was pretty expensive so we'd taken out a loan, but the Foundation paid well so I knew it wouldn't take long to pay it off. We didn't have all the furniture Yukine wanted just yet, but we had the basics: kitchen appliances, a bed, and the usual tables and chairs. A good start.

Still cradled in my arms, she inhaled deeply. "Do you smell that?"

"Smell what?"

She laid a hand on my cheek and gazed into my eyes. "Home."

I took a long draw of the house's air. "Yeah, you're right; It does smell like 'home'," I said as I carefully lowered her to stand on her own.

She turned and briefly pressed herself into me before stepping away and taking my hand while looking at me from under her eyelashes, sending my heart rate skyrocketing.

She carefully held the front of her dress as we ascended the stairs, and I followed as she led me into our room. She then released my hand and stopped as few paces away, looking out the master bedroom window; she seemed to be thinking about something.

"Yukine?"

She pulled our curtains shut and briefly glanced over her shoulder at me before gathering her hair over one shoulder as she fully turned her back to me. "W-Would you please unzip me?" I heard her ask in a trembling voice; in fact, her shoulders were trembling as well.

I briefly stood there, dumbfounded. Was she really asking me to…?

As I reached out toward the back of her wedding dress I noticed that my hands were shaking; of course they would! After all, what was I about to do?

It was almost like a ceremony, the way that I slowly and carefully unzipped her dress, and she gasped with a shudder when my fingers accidentally brushed against her skin. I heard her take a deep breath before she reached up to her shoulders and let the soft, shimmery material drop to the floor, pooling around her feet. She stepped out of the circle of cloth and wrapped herself in a towel as I quickly gathered the discarded garment and carefully laid it over a nearby chair. "I won't be long," she said softly as she entered the bathing room.

"I-I'll be waiting," I replied, then stripped, grabbed my towel, and wrapped it around my waist.

Surprisingly, I only heard the water run for a few minutes before she came back out, with her towel wrapped around her body as she dried her hair with another. "Shower's free."

I stood, and noticed that her eyes widened when she saw me. She stopped me with a gentle hand to my chest just before I entered the bathing room. "Please don't be long," she said, looking up at me from under her eyelashes. What had happened to the awkward Yukine that I knew from the Reference Room?

"I-I'll hurry," I stammered.

I showered while in something of a daze, but I managed to get myself clean without hurting myself. After making sure I had rinsed all of the soap away, I turned off the shower, grabbed my towel and rewrapped it around myself. I stepped back into our bedroom, and my heart skipped a beat. "Oh, wow…"

She stood before me wearing what looked like some kind of short, light brown see-through dress, though it wasn't as see-through at her chest.

My heart skipped another beat as she pushed a lock of hair over her shoulder. "It's called a 'babydoll'; Do you like it, Tomoya? Am I pretty?"

"Oh, wow…" I breathed. "I'm starting to believe that there's a God out there."

She blushed as she averted her gaze. "Th-Thank you, Tomoya."

I reached out a hesitant hand, but… "Is it okay if I touch you?"

She pressed her face into my hand before turning glimmering blue eyes up to mine. "P-Please do."

I cupped my hand under her delicate chin and kissed her as tenderly as I could. Then, I gently caressed her face, tracing her cheeks, her eyebrows, her lips, like I was trying to memorize her face with my hand. Maybe I was.

She took my hand and kissed the palm before placing it against her chest. "Will you pamper me?"

Despite my pounding heart I was able to give her a gentle smile. "I-I would be honored, milady."

She giggled as we removed the rest of our coverings, and I gently picked up my blushing bride and put her in our bed. Then I joined her under the covers and simply gazed at her face, into those ocean-blue eyes; I was almost afraid to touch her.

"T-Tomoya…?"

I swallowed hard as I reached out and placed my hand on her tummy; her skin was amazingly soft. "Wow…" I breathed. "Amazing…"

I explored her body, discovering where she liked and didn't like to be touched. She sighed and giggled and grunted cutely as I caressed her; all of these sounds were music to my ears.

Before long, her movements became more agitated, and she briefly grabbed at the sheets before abruptly turning and grabbing onto my shoulders. Had I hurt her somehow? "Yukine, what-"

She suddenly cried out repeatedly into my chest as she squeezed my shoulders with an iron grip. My eyes widened and chest swelled as I realized what had happened…and that I had been the one to make it happen. I held her tenderly until her eyes slowly opened, and I could see as she turned her reddened face up to me that they were unfocused. "Tomoya…" she gasped, "…that…felt…really good."

My heart felt full to bursting as I smiled gently down into her dazed expression. "I…I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Whew…" she gasped as she relaxed onto her back again. "Wow…" She stared at the ceiling for a moment before looking over at me sheepishly. "G-Good sir, m-may I please have some more?"

I chuckled lightly as I reached for her again. "As you wish, milady."

She writhed and squirmed and gasped under my touch before grabbing onto me again to sing her song of ecstasy.

"T-Tomoya…" she gasped, sounding like she had run a marathon, "thank you so much."

"My pleasure," I said, then chuckled. "Your pleasure is my pleasure, milady."

She managed to giggle in spite of her labored breathing. Then her expression turned strangely serious. "T-Tomoya…"

"Yeah?"

She said nothing, but got up on her knees and coaxed me up to a seated position. I was a little confused until she extended her leg across my lap so she was straddling me. She tilted my head slightly back with a hand until we were looking each other in the eyes; her expression was a mix of fear and excitement, but I saw a lot of love there as well.

As she lowered her hips, my eyes widened at the new sensation that threatened to overwhelm me. When I could finally see again, I looked to my wife's eyes and we exchanged embarrassed smiles when I found hers just as wide.

She paused in her descent, and it took me a moment to realize why. I looked up into her beautiful ocean-blue eyes and smiled as I caressed her hair. "It's okay, Yukine; take your time."

She simply nodded as she gazed into my eyes. Then, she took a deep breath as she gripped my shoulders and lowered herself the rest of the way, giving a pain-filled gasp as she finalized our marriage.

She sat in my lap with her head on my shoulder for several minutes, breathing heavily and twitching as I caressed her back and kissed her cheek repeatedly.

Finally, her breathing became normal, and she lifted her head from my shoulder to look me in the eyes again. "Sorry for making you wait," she said with a light giggle. "I think I'm ready, now."

It didn't take long as we showered each other with love and affection before we…we…

 _TYoumkoiynae_


	49. Paying Respects

**Chapter Forty-Nine: Paying Respects**

"Woooowwww…" I breathed as the huge mansion of the late Wilton Knight came into view. "I didn't know they could build houses this big…"

"That is amazing…" Yukine agreed, and I looked over to see a similar look of awe on her face. "Knight-sama must have been a very wealthy man."

" _Conservative estimates put his net worth in the billions,"_ KITT offered, _"and that is in early 1980s dollar values."_

I gave a low whistle. "I could believe it." I glanced in the inside rearview mirror to Tomoyo and Kotomi in the back seat. "What do you think?"

"I am very impressed," Kotomi said. "To make so much money as to be able to afford such a large house as well as build a car as wonderful as KITT…he must have had a very kind heart as well as a lot of money."

" _Indeed,"_ KITT said. _"I am grateful to Wilton Knight for creating me."_

"Oh, so am I," Kotomi breathed.

"Hmph," Tomoyo grunted, her arms crossed. "I don't understand all this; my folks didn't have much money, but I turned out okay."

" _Young lady, because of Mr. Knight's money, a lot of people 'turned out okay' who would have otherwise been at the mercy of criminals."_

"Well I'm not going to knock him for having been rich," I said. "He must have worked hard for it and deserved every penny. He may have not been able to take his money with him, but a lot of people have benefited from his generosity."

" _Well said, Tomoya. The more I hear you talk, the more I see why Michael invited you to become my new partner."_

I ducked my head shyly; I'd never get used to praise, it seemed. "Thanks, KITT. Well, let's see why we've been invited to the mansion, shall we?"

* * *

"Hey, Tomoya; great to see you again!" Michael greeted as we entered the mansion. "I mean, I know we've talked through the communicator, but…"

"It's not the same, I understand," I replied as we shook hands. "So, why did you want us all to come here? Japan's not exactly the next town over."

"Right," he said, rubbing his hands together. "And I'll get to that. But first; anyone hungry?"

Right on cue, Kotomi's stomach growled, which she quickly covered.

"Well, it sounds like someone is," he quipped.

It was a pretty simple lunch for such a spectacular house; meat-and-cheese sandwiches, a variety of fruits and vegetables, and many different kinds of chips.

"I know it's not what you're used to," Bonnie apologized, "but I hope it's okay."

"It's delicious, thank you," I replied, reaching for another sandwich half. "The flavors are different, but I like them."

"Before I forget," Michael said, turning to address my wife and Tomoyo, "congratulations on your graduation, Miss Honor Students."

"Thank you," Tomoyo said simply.

I smiled as my wife blushed. "Th-Thank you, Michael-sama."

He chuckled lightly. "You're never going to call me just 'Michael', are you?"

She giggled as her blush deepened. "P-Probably not."

He sighed melodramatically, throwing his hands in the air. "Kids these days…"

"That just means she thinks highly of you," Bonnie said as she patted his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know," he grunted. "Anyway, the reason I called you all here is…well actually, a couple of reasons; I wanted you to see the headquarters for FLAG, and…well…I thought you might like to visit the grave of Wilton Knight."

"The founder of FLAG?" I asked, and I could feel my pulse quicken. "Oh man, I'd be honored!"

"Thought you might," he said with a wink. "I just wish he and Devon could have stuck around long enough to meet all of you." He waggled his finger at Kotomi. "Devon, in particular, would have probably spoiled you rotten."

"M-Me?" Kotomi squeaked, her hand going to her chest.

"Who's Devon?" I asked. "I think this is the first time you've mentioned him."

"Seriously?" Michael grimaced. "Yeah, I guess we've been so busy that it never came up." He leaned back in his chair. "Devon Miles was my boss after Wilton Knight died shortly after bringing me on board. Pretty straight-laced guy, but he still had his quirks. He died back in…when was it? '97?"

"1997," Bonnie confirmed. "I'm surprised you've forgotten; you took his death pretty hard."

"Yeah…but a lot's happened since then," Michael said. "All of a sudden I had to do his job as well as mine as well as deal with my own grief…"

"He was a good man," Bonnie said to us as she laid a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Kind of like a father to Michael."

"Certainly old enough!" Michael quipped, drawing a laugh from the rest of us. "Man, I'd give anything to have him back, though."

"I think we all would," Bonnie replied.

We heard sniffing and turned nearly as one to see Kotomi blotting her eyes repeatedly with her napkin. "I am sorry," she sniffed, "but he sounds like such a wonderful man that I am sad to never have met him." Tomoyo smiled as she laid a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Where is Mr. Miles buried?" I asked. "I'd like to be able to visit him, as well."

"Next time I send you to England, you can visit him," Michael said. "Or I guess you could use one of your vacations, if you wanted."

"I might just do that," I replied with a smile.

* * *

Appropriately enough, Wilton Knight had been buried on his own land in a special, marked-off area:

 _Here lies Wilton Edgar Knight  
December 2, 1915 – May 12, 1983  
Loved all as family  
_" _One man can make a difference"_

Yukine and I faced the weathered headstone, hand in hand, with Kotomi and Tomoyo on either side.

"Hey, old man," Michael said with a voice tight with emotion. "It's been a while."

I knelt before the tombstone and pressed my hands together as I closed my eyes; I could 'sense' the girls doing the same. "Thank you, Knight-sama, for everything. For giving hope to those who wouldn't have had any otherwise. For fighting for what is right. For fighting so hard for justice."

I opened my eyes again and reached out to trace my finger along the last line: "One man can make a difference." I looked over at Yukine, meeting her teary eyes, and I suspected that we were thinking the same thing; I had already made a difference in the lives of so many, starting with the rescue of Yukine and the other children.

I got to my feet and moved to clean the memorial, only to find that it was already well-cared for. Michael stepped forward and laid a hand on the tombstone. "The groundskeepers take care of this every day," he said quietly. "Even after twenty years, it still looks brand new."

"He should be honored in this way," Tomoyo said, and I realized that she must have felt a kindred spirit, having fought for innocent people against bad guys, though in a different way. "Now I feel bad for saying what I did earlier."

"Each of us has our own...unique…gifts," Yukine offered, and I could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke. "Knight-sama earned a lot of money and used it to help others."

"He used his power to help others," Tomoyo added in a voice filled with wonder.

"You kids have some pretty neat perspectives," Michael said. "I think Wilton would have gotten a kick out of all of you."

"Must be the difference in cultures," Bonnie suggested, her voice heavy with emotion as well.

I knelt before the stone and traced the last line again, and was surprised to find the hands of my friends also reaching out to the same place.

" _One man can make a difference."_


	50. Epilogue: Class Reunion

**Epilogue: Class Reunion**

I pressed the button on the dashboard and, as we descended, KITT's wheels unfolded to their usual position as the anti-gravity field powered down.

" _I'm exhausted,"_ KITT complained as we touched down a safe distance from the school.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "Robots don't get tired."

" _Maintaining the anti-gravity field exerts a considerable drain on my batteries,"_ he countered. _"It will take several hours for them to recharge. Besides, I still don't like flying."_

"It's not flying," I tried countering. "It's…floating…with forward motion..." I looked over to the front passenger seat. "Yukine, help me out here."

She smiled bashfully, her hands resting on her swollen tummy. "I'm sorry; I really don't know much about technology. You really should be asking Kotomi-chan."

I grunted, then shifted my attention to the back seat. "Kotomi-chan? Can you help me?"

She exchanged a smile with Tomoyo before replying. "I am sorry, Tomoya-kun; I have just been enjoying your banter."

"Don't look at me," Tomoyo interrupted as I started to open my mouth again. "You know I don't understand that stuff."

So I was on my own. "Look, KITT; I don't ask you to fly that often. Can't you let it go, please?"

An electronic sigh. _"I suppose I can keep further concerns to myself…for now."_

"I am sorry, KITT," Kotomi said to my partner. "I will work on your battery efficiency when we get back home."

A longish pause. _"Now I'm experiencing something akin to regret over mentioning it. My apologies, Kotomi-chan."_

"I understand," she replied. "You want to be at your best to help Tomoya-kun; I-I want that as well."

I sighed; even though I knew I'd feel a little jealous, I wished that she'd find a good man to marry. Tomoyo too, for that matter. "Well, there's the school. I wish you could come in with us, KITT."

" _I appreciate your concern. While your watch will allow me to be there in a manner of speaking, it's not the same as being physically present."_

I glanced in the rearview mirror again. "Maybe you could work on giving KITT a humanoid body to use occasionally?"

" _Tomoya, that's really not-"_

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Kotomi squealed. "When we get back home, I will work on that as well! I will need joints, some form of gyro-stabilizer…"

"Good job getting her started," Tomoyo grumbled. "Now she won't shut up for hours."

"Better than the way she used to be," I countered as Kotomi continued to talk to herself. "An introverted shut-in? Yeah, I'd say this is an improvement."

"I like it when she's excited," my wife said as we pulled up by the bottom of the hill. "She sounds so happy."

" _I suppose if she's happy, then I should be happy as well,"_ KITT said in mock resignation.

I patted the dashboard. "That's the spirit, buddy."

* * *

"WHOA! OKAZAKI!" an annoyingly familiar voice called out as we passed through the main gate.

"Sunohara," I greeted as we high-fived.

"And you've brought your harem-AWK!" he finished as he doubled over from Tomoyo's kick; I held up a hand to stop her from doing anything more.

"Where is everyone?" I asked as he brushed at the front of his shirt. "I'm sure our graduating class was bigger than this."

He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Eh, they're in the gym; these people are probably outside 'cause it's so crowded in there." He gave me a sly smirk. "Seriously; why are you all together like this?"

"We work at the same place," I answered. "Except for Yukine, that is; she's a professional wife and mother."

"T-Tomoya…" Yukine blushed as she averted her gaze.

"WHOA! She's even cuter when she's pregnant!" Sunohara blurted as he openly stared at her stomach, and I had to hold up my hand again to keep Tomoyo from going after him; she had become extremely protective toward my wife after we had announced our second pregnancy. "Is this your first kid?"

"Second," I replied. "Hiro's with Yukine's parents." I gestured toward the gym. "I'd like to go inside, if that's okay." I said, as the others nodded in agreement.

He gave me a thumbs-up; had the guy grown up at all in the last five years? "Let's go, then!"

As we entered the gym, Kotomi and Tomoyo headed off in different directions, and Yukine and I met up with several of my old classmates and exchanged greetings with them, introduced them to Yukine, and eventually we came across…

"Okazaki-kun!" I smiled as I turned to see Fujibayashi approaching hand-in-hand with a blonde-haired man. "Welcome!"

"Hey Fujibayashi," I greeted. Then I smiled as I stuck my hand out toward the blonde man. "Okazaki Tomoya; nice to meet you."

He returned my smile as he accepted the handshake. "Hiragi Kappei; nice to meet you, too." He angled his head as thought studying me. "A handshake, huh? You must have been outside Japan at some point."

"Every so often," I replied, maintaining my smile. The fact was, over the last five years I had been on missions outside of Japan more times than I could count…but he didn't need to know that. "My job has me traveling a bit."

"And what do you do?" Fujibayashi asked. "Oh, is it that detective job you told us about?"

"Yup," I replied, "and may I assume that the two of you are married? Or are those rings just coincidental decorations?"

They shared a chuckle as they held up their hands. "We've been married for two years," Fuji-well, Ryou replied.

"Congratulations you two, albeit a little belated," Yukine said with her trademark smile. "I'm sorry we missed your wedding."

"I-It's okay," Ryou replied. "We wanted a small-"

"TOMOYA!" a voice rang out and, before I realized what was happening, I had Kyou's arm twisted up behind her; apparently she'd had the bright idea of approaching me from behind. "Hey, what the hell?!"

"Sorry!" I said as I quickly released her. "Reflex."

She glared at me as she rubbed her arm. "So you abuse women reflexively?"

"I dunno," I replied. "Yukine, am I abusive?"

She rested her hands on her swollen tummy as she gave a bright smile. "I don't think so, honey."

"Whoa." Kyou's eyes grew wide as she noticed my wife's abdomen. "You really…? M-May I…?"

Yukine received a nod from me before answering. "Go ahead."

Kyou's expression was unreadable as she reached out and gently caressed my wife's tummy. "Amazing…" she breathed. "Does it hurt?"

Yukine's smile seemed to light up the entire room. "It's uncomfortable sometimes, but it's a lot better than when I had our first."

"Your…first…?" Kyou removed her hand from my wife's tummy and placed it on her own. "Then you…"

"You okay, Kyou?" I asked. "Before, you would have taken a jab at me by now."

Ryou smiled sadly as she laid her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Kyou's not like she used to be."

"I guess." I studied the older sister's downturned face. "Hey, did you get that teaching job you wanted?"

My former verbal sparring partner simply nodded, and I finally admitted to myself what I had suspected to be true for a long time: She still hadn't gotten over me.

I deliberately softened my voice. "Congratulations, Kyou; I knew you had it in you."

She glanced up at me briefly with a troubled smile. "Excuse me," she said, and wandered off.

"Poor thing," Yukine said sadly. "Should I go talk to her?"

"I don't think that would help," Ryou said. "She just needs some time."

"Five years isn't long enough?" I asked carefully.

"When it comes to a woman's heart, eternity might not be long enough," Kappei answered as he put his arm around his wife.

I reflexively thought of Kotomi and Tomoyo. "Yeah…I think I know what you mean."

* * *

" _From what I could hear, it sounded like you had a good time,_ " KITT said as we all piled in.

"It was…bittersweet," I replied. "It was good seeing everyone again, but some of the changes were hard to take."

" _Are you referring to Fujibayashi Kyou?"_

"You noticed, huh?"

" _I wasn't able to complete a full analysis, but vocal analysis indicated the possibility of mild depression."_

"She must've really had the hots for you," Tomoyo said.

"Could we talk about something or someone else, please?" I asked, exasperated. "I got enough attention when Kotomi-chan started talking about me to our schoolmates."

"I am so sorry," Kotomi said yet again.

"I'm not looking for another apology," I said. "I'd just like to…change the subject."

" _What did you find out about your former classmates?"_

I blew air noisily between my lips. "Well, Ryou is a nurse…"

"Amazing that she was able to get the time off," Yukine observed.

"True," I agreed. "Anyway, she met her now-husband, Hiragi Kappei, while he was a patient at the hospital where she works, and they've been married for about two years."

"They look…happy together," I heard Kotomi comment from the back seat.

"They do make a cute couple," Yukine agreed.

"From what I was able to find out from Ryou, her sister was able to become a kindergarten teacher like she wanted…in fact she teaches at the school in our district."

"That could be a problem when Hiro's ready for kindergarten," Tomoyo observed.

" _Indeed. Human relationships can be quite…complicated."_

"We'll worry about that when we get there," I said. "Furukawa is…well, we didn't get to talk to her for long but, from what I could get, she's working at her parents' bakery while prepping for college."

" _She's still living with her parents? Tomoya, I would be willing to scan her to try to determine the nature of her medical condition."_

"That's a thought," I mused. "The trick would be doing it without having to explain everything to her. She's a nice girl, but she's kinda…simple; someone like you might be scary to her."

" _I believe I understand."_

"Last one: Sunohara." I sighed heavily. "He's a taxi driver back home. That guy could have gone far in soccer, but…" I lightly tapped the yoke.

"He gave up on life," Tomoyo said.

"That's a shame," Yukine said. "To have all that talent and to not use it."

" _Tomoya? I'm sorry to interrupt, but Michael's calling."_

I smiled as Michael Knight's image appeared on the monitor. "Hey, boss! What's up?"

He returned my smile. _"How'd your class reunion go?"_

"Mixed bag."

" _Yeah, they can be like that. Listen, I know you're still in Party Mode, but something's come up and I need you to meet up with the Bishop in the usual spot."_

"Can you tell us anything about it?" I asked.

" _Yeah, but you know me; I like the personal touch."_

"You sure do," I said. "All right; we'll rendezvous with the Bishop shortly."

" _See you in a bit, kiddo."_ With that, Michael's image winked out.

" _Shortly?"_ KITT asked. _"At cruising speed it will easily take us two hours to rendezvous with the Bishop, unless…you can't be serious. Again?!"_

"Again," I said with a smile.

" _You enjoy Air Pursuit Mode just a little too much, young man,"_ KITT said in a scolding tone as he opened the dash panel.

"We all do…well, maybe except Tomoyo-san," Yukine said. "Thank you, KITT."

As we lifted off again and KITT's wheels folded into his body, I thought about what my next mission could possibly be. In the end it didn't matter, though; I would serve others with the selflessness that Yukine had helped me to develop and, with two of my best friends, we would protect the innocent from those who operate above the law.

Because, with the right support, one man can make a difference.

 _Rough Draft Complete_


End file.
